Transformers: I'm Crazy, Right? (Book One of the Ghost Chronicles)
by Falcon's Hyperdrive
Summary: Kate has a voice in her head and she's just been transported to the world of Transformers. She can't outrun her troubles, however, for some things hold true between the realities. Her kidnappers are one of them. Adding the Decepticons to the mix just makes things worse. It's enough to drive any girl insane, and she's sure she's already there.
1. Chapter 1: That Girl on The Highway

Before we begin, let me warn you that the main character will at first seem like a Mary-Sue. I have actually taken two Mary-Sue Litmus Tests with her, and it turns out that she's only a teensy little bit. As you read the story, things will be revealed that will tell you why she's not, but to discover them you will have to read this all the way through. My writing gets better as the story goes along, and there's only so much editing that can be done without a complete rewrite – which I don't have the time or desire to do. For now, please bear with me, and thank you in advance for reading. Reviews are very much appreciated. Art for this story is located on my deviantART account, under the name of FuzzySlipper, which you can find using my homepage link. The artwork is also linked to at the bottom of my profile here. Also, **this story is set clo****se to one year after the '07 movie**. And now, without further rambling, I present to you this tale.

* * *

**Transformers:**

_**I'm Crazy, Right?**_

[\====/]

**Book One of the**

**Ghost Chronicles**

[\====/]

_By Falcon's Hyperdrive_

Begun 9-18-08

Finished --

* * *

.

.

.

* * *

_**Prologue**_

Misconceptions. People make them a lot, especially when they have no grasp whatsoever of the situation. You may have pieces of the puzzle, but that doesn't mean you know the image it is supposed to create. And puzzles of lives are the hardest of all to solve. One can liken it to pieces with flat sides, with no obvious way to link them together. And as more pieces are discovered, a more complete picture can be found.

People can easily be misread, especially when you wear fractured glasses. They are a piece of the puzzle, one that must especially be viewed correctly. And then, when you have gathered all the pieces, you still need to assemble the picture, even as memories and pieces threaten to slip away.

And then the question remains . . . Is the solution you came up with the right one?

* * *

.

.

.

* * *

_**Chapter One – That Girl on The Highway**_

She supposed it had only been a matter of time.

_Guess this is what happens when you're kidnapped,_ Kate reflected as she trudged along next to the empty, meandering highway. _Or at least, when you've escaped on your own. Oh, well. It's not like it matters. I don't matter. No one thinks so, anyway. So what if I'm lost?_

She sighed, a simple action filled with emotions. She was tired. Tired of being abandoned, tired of being treated like she was just some pet, tired of being messed with . . . She was just plain old tired of life. Hope was a foreign concept for her, with years of despair hammered into her. It was true, it seemed; no one cared for her. Her brother had, once, before he died. But he was long gone, and she was here, or wherever "here" was. All she had now was a backpack, headphones, a laptop, an iPod, a DVD, and the clothes on her back. Not much, and a lot at the same time.

_Think of it this way,_ she told herself, resettling the bag on her back, her most precious possessions. _You won't die of boredom._

_No,_ she countered sarcastically. _I'll just die of thirst and starvation, or a wild animal will kill me, or that pervert will._

She looked up the road, examining the concrete "sidewalk for giants," as she jokingly referred to it as, and the trees that flanked it. Out here in the middle of nowhere – _Where is "here"?_ – it was all road, hills, and trees. She was on a flat stretch right now, but the road on the right dipped down toward a stream which threaded its way through the forest.

Again, she sighed, sourly berating herself for her strong will to live. How could one be so tired of life, and yet want to live so bad? _You've got to admit,_ her voice of reason reminded her, _it's rather fun._

_All right, fine,_ she sighed, carefully inching her way down to the stream. _You win._

_I know, dearie._

_Don't call me that, Vor._

"_Vor"? Where'd that come from?_

"_Vor." You know, "Voice of reason." _

_Dearie, you've gone nuts at last. You're naming yourself!_

As she knelt next to the water, dipping her cupped hands in it, she smiled to herself. _I'm just surprised I didn't go crazy sooner._

_Believe it, dearie._

Kate wiped the excess liquid off of her chin, her attention caught by something glinting in the water downstream, catching one of the few rays of light that made its way through the canopy. _What's that?_

_Are you sure you want to find out?_ Vor asked her.

_Of course. Despite all this technology in my bag – all of which I need to recharge, by the way – I'm extremely bored right now, especially after all that walking. A rest will do me fine, and I'd like to see what that is. Meh . . . Not even an internet signal to save my life._

_Suit yourself._

"Oh, I will," she muttered, ignoring the immediate thought that talking to yourself was a sure sign of . . .

She got up and went over to the object in the stream bed. It was metal, with strange symbols etched into the surface, looking vaguely and strangely familiar somehow. _Should I listen to Vor?_ she wondered, thinking about the possibilities.

_Yes, you should!_ came the immediate answer. At this, Kate bent down and picked up the metal. As soon as she touched it, she felt like an electric jolt ran through her. "Woah," she whispered, startled. "Now that ain't natural."

_Of course it isn't, you idiot!_ Vor shouted at her. _I told you not to touch it!_

_I distinctly remember nothing of the sort,_ she scoffed, though wincing at the loud mental tone. Who knew an internal voice could have such sheer volume? _Hey . . . where'd it go?_ She looked at her empty hand, a different sort of shock running through her at its sudden absence.

_Dearie, you're such an idiot right now,_ Vor scolded. _It's on the ground, there. _

Kate laughed to herself as she picked it up, relieved that she wasn't going even more crazy. _Where would I be without you, Vor?_ she teased.

_Completely insane,_ said the voice in a matter-of-fact tone. _Now get back on the road, unless you want to miss the only person for miles._

Kate heard it then, the pleasant rumble of a sports car. Never before had the sound of an engine been so welcome to her ears. "Yes!" she cried, pocketing the metal shard and scrambling back up the hill. "Oh, please, oh, please, let me get there in time!"

She reached the road with more than enough time to spare. Without thinking of the idiocies of such an action, she spread her arms and waved. If her voice of reason was in favor of this action, then it must be the right thing to do. _Neither of us are hankering to die out here in the boonies._

The silver hardtop Pontiac Solstice slowed upon seeing her, and came to a stop next to the girl. The man in the driver's seat, a handsom dark-skinned man with unearthly blue eyes, lowered his visor-like shades and peered over them at her. "Need a ride, kiddo?"

Kate decided to let the "kiddo" remark slide. "Please," she said, her own ocean-blue eyes expressing more gratitude than any words could. "You have, I believe, just saved my life."

He smiled, leaning over and opening the door for her. "Really?"

"Yes, really."

The man waited until she had gotten settled, then put the car in drive and continued on. "What's your name?"

"Kate. And I'm seventeen."

He glanced at her. "My apologies, then," he said. "I'm Jack."

Kate frowned. "What are you apologizing for?"

"For calling you 'kiddo.' In my experience, older teenagers are particularly susceptible to becoming irate upon being referred to by such a title."

Kate found herself laughing. "I'm not one of those kids. It's a lot better than what I've been called in the past. You know what's funny?"

"Try me."

"You don't seem the type to use such big words."

He laughed with her. "You're right, actually." He winked. "Slang's my game."

"Is that a Big Apple accent?"

"Picked it up in New Jersey."

"So what are you doing way out here? I climbed a tree, but didn't see civilization for miles."

"Just drivin' 'round," he answered. "What were _you_ doing way out here? Doesn't look like you had a car anywhere."

Kate kept her face perfectly straight. Inside, she could hear Vor laughing at the irony. "I'm an escaped prisoner," she deadpanned.

A grin blossomed across his face, revealing perfect teeth. "There's a jail thirty miles from here. Want me to drop you off?"

She decided to play along. "Only if they have a heated pool."

"I'm pretty sure they have wireless, too."

"Free breakfast?"

"Lunch and dinner."

Kate laughed. "I hear their beds are nice."

"Room to yourself, and you make lots of friends."

"Great!" Kate punched the air, her mind not registering the twinge of pain that action brought. "Let's go!"

Jack shook his head, clearly enjoying the laugh she had given him. "Seriously, little lady. Why are you out here?"

Kate shrugged. "I'm an escaped prisoner," she repeated. "Just . . . not from the police."

That caught his interest. "You were kidnapped?"

She nodded. "If you don't mind, I'd rather not talk about that right now."

"No problem," he answered, though his voice betrayed that he really wanted to know more. "We've got a few hours."

"Where are you headed?"

"Nevada, actually."

Kate frowned in thought. "Where are we?"

"Michigan, thereabouts. Lower peninsula. Where's home for you?"

She snorted at the word. "No such thing for me," she said bitterly. "My parents stopped caring about me long ago. The only place I could really stay put in was a dark room, but going back to that means torture and eventual death by the hands of that perverted . . ." She trailed off, but her silence said it all.

He winced sympathetically. "Well, if you'd like, you can come with me."

"Really?" Her gloomy look made the transition to a bright, cheery smile in an instant at those words. "I can? Honest?"

He grinned at her, obviously relived that she was smiling again. "You sure can. That is, if you don't mind."

"I think it's one of the best ideas I've ever heard."

_You're being naïve, dearie._

_You wanted me to catch a ride, Vor._

_I didn't mean for you to catch a ride all the way across the country._

_As if I have anywhere else to go?_

_Point taken._

Jack regarded her for a short while in his peripheral vision. "You do know I could be one of those kidnappers, right?"

She shrugged. "I figure, right now, a not-so-sure thing is better than a sure thing. Staying back there would have been sure death. Going with you, at least I know I'm going to survive, which is sign of defiance on my part. Everybody I know doesn't care if I live or die. I'm just around because I'm useful."

"Wasn't there anybody who cared?" By the tone of his voice, she could tell he was angry, but not at her. In answer, she shrugged. "My brother did, and so did my grandparents, but they're all dead. No aunts, no uncles, no cousins that I can remember. No friends."

Jack seemed to hesitate. After a moment of silence, guiding the sleek car around a corner, he spoke. "Well, Kate . . . I'd be honored if I could be your first friend."

Kate's eyes went wide, and Vor was shocked into silence. "Fr- friend?" she stammered. "You want to be my . . . friend?"

"Is that so wrong?"

"I . . . No one's ever wanted to be my friend before. I'm crazy, you see."

Vor mentally whacked her. _I take offense to that!_

_You said it yourself, earlier,_ Kate returned.

"Really?" Jack laughed. "I think I can handle crazy."

_What do you think, Vor?_

_Well . . . All right. Fine. I like him. Happy?_

_Very._ Kate grinned at the man, unable to name the emotion running through her right now. It was more than happiness. It was like . . . utter contentment. Peace.

"Vor likes you," she said. "Therefore, you must be a nice guy. Friends?"

He smiled back at her, a kind expression filled with warmth. "Friends," he finalized. It took him a few moments for her previous statement to sink in.

_Wait for it . . ._

He blinked, completely dumbfounded. "Who's Vor?"

* * *

**Edited 4-21-10**


	2. Chapter 2: Transformers

**_Chapter Two – _Transformers**

They talked for a long while. With at least two days of driving ahead of them, what else were they to do?

Kate explained to Jack about her voice of reason, whom she had only recently named "Vor." The voice seemed to have taken on its own personality during her long hours of solitude, in which Vor was her only company.

"Now you can see why people tend to stay away from me, yeah?"

Jack shook his head. "Not really," he confessed. A flash of white and dark blue caught his eye, and he risked a glance at the DVD case that had fallen out of her bag. "What's that?" he asked, intrigued.

"_Transformers_," she answered. At the confused look on his face, her mouth dropped open in disbelief. "You've never seen it? Seriously?"

"Should I have?"

"It won an award for special effects. It's got some hilarious parts, too. Like when the Autobots tried to hide from Sam Witwicky's parents. Half of them were as big as the house, and smashed the garden as they were moving about. Though it's understandable. I mean, it's not as if they knew a whole lot about Earth."

Jack coughed. "Maybe you should start from the beginning."

"Oh, right!" For the next while, she enthusiastically went about explaining what went on in the movie, embellishing her thoughts on certain parts with vigor. At the same time, she was solemn. All the death, all the pain . . . She was especially sensitive to that, even in movies. Especially, it seemed, in _this_ movie.

"Sam just keeps putting his foot in his mouth with Mikaela," Kate laughed, "and goes on to shove it in deeper." Then she got to the part where the teens first met the rest of the Autobots. "Ratchet made a _really_ awkward comment, then."

"What was it?"

"Oh, no, you don't. I'm not repeating it. You want to find out, you watch the movie. Anyway . . ."

The hunt for the glasses . . . "And Optimus was up against the house. If anyone had looked at their house, then they would have seen those guys for sure."

Simmons was next. "Something is really wrong with that guy. Convinced he's always right, everyone else is wrong. Eh, but he starts getting the idea later on, when he realizes that he actually knows diddly-squat. We'll get to that."

Then it was at the bridge, when the young yellow mech saved the teens from a painful death. "Poor Bumblebee," she sighed.

"What happened?"

"Sam was shouting at S-Seven a lot, trying to get them to let Bee go. Mikaela was already caught and in one of the cars. They . . . They were hurting him." She paused a moment, collecting her thoughts. "The other Autobots wanted to save him, but they couldn't do anything without hurting the humans, so they could only sit there, feeling useless."

Later, it was on Megatron. "I mean, how smart did they think it was? 'Sure, let's keep a giant alien robot with a bunch of other people. Oh, don't worry, he's frozen. No way he could thaw out. The generators are only on the hill nearby, way out in the open for any of his trigger-happy buddies.'"

Jack smiled, though it looked halfhearted for some reason she didn't bother to ponder. "You do sarcasm well."

"Thanks," she said, smiling back. Soon she was off on other things, like Simmons finally being shown the barrel of a gun, Sam's rescue of Bumblebee, and the flight to Mission City. "Optimus did one sweet U-turn for a semi. No way a human could get a monster truck like that to turn so smooth. Though, actually, those stunt people can get those cars to behave quite nicely. The battle between him and Bonecrusher was cool, too."

The subject turned to more sobering details after that. Bumblebee's injury, Megatron's arrival . . . Jazz's death. She remembered well the ache that went through her heart every time she saw that scene, and found that she had been clutching the shirt above her heart when she mentioned it. Back to her lap went the hand, and then she told of how Mikaela and Bumblebee helped out the soldiers, and then it was on to the final battle. She detailed how Sam's quick thinking solved both problems at once as he shoved the All Spark up into Megatron's spark chamber. She relayed the semi-happy ending, with Captain Lennox meeting his daughter for the first time, and life on earth settling into a new groove. Jazz was gone, though, and Barricade was unaccounted for in the ending, and Starscream was headed for space. For reinforcements, perhaps, or just simply running away? Whatever it was, Kate finished, it was sure to bode ill for the Autobots. But then, other Autobots were likely on their way, what with the transmission Optimus sent out at the end of the movie.

She and Jack were silent for a while as the man absorbed all this new information. After a few minutes, he cleared his throat. "Out of curiosity – don't ask why – if _Transformers_ was real, which Autobot would you most like to meet?"

She thought about that for a moment. "Jazz," she decided. "In the movie, he doesn't have all that big of a part. You just learn that he's a fun, courageous, caring individual who hates to see his friends suffer, and then . . . he's gone." She sighed, shaking her head. "Just like that."

"So I gathered. What about the humans?"

"Captain Lennox. If not him, then Mikaela. What about you?"

"I don't know," he said, grinning. "I haven't watched the movie yet. Tell you what, when I figure it out, you'll be the first to know."

"Deal," she laughed. Digging into one of her pockets, she pulled out the metal shard, and began examining it. "Found this in the stream where we met. Gave me a shock when I picked it up. Vor called me an idiot."

"Hardly an idiot," he said, a strange note in his voice's timbre. "But you should be more careful about things."

"Yeah, I seem to have a notorious habit for getting in trouble."

"I'll bet," Jack answered. "Say, if Jazz were real, and were alive, what would you do?"

"Hope he never finds out I've been talking about him," she said, dead serious. "That'd be the embarrassment of the century, right there. But besides, that, I suppose I would like to talk to him, get to know him." She grinned. "And I'd like to ask the Autobots why, if they already had plenty of Cybertronian curses, did they learn English ones? My brother hammered it into me at a young age that swearing is a bad thing to do."

"Your brother sounds like he was wise." Jack glanced at her, noticing the way her eyes were growing heavy. "Get some sleep," he suggested. "I'll stop at a hotel in a few hours, but you need your rest."

"Thanks," she muttered, leaning back and closing her eyes. "Goodnight, Jack."

He smiled, wincing sympathetically as he thought about what she'd been through. "Goodnight, Katie-girl. Sleep well."

* * *

**Edited 4-21-10**


	3. Chapter 3: The Beginning of Lies

_**Chapter Three – The Beginning of Lies**_

Jazz couldn't quite figure this human out. How did one so young suffer through so much and come out completely normal?

_Well, maybe not normal,_ he reminded himself. _She told me about Vor, her Voice of reason. Ratchet needs to check her out. That aside, there's one thing that's bugging me._ Carefully increasing his speed so as to not wake his passenger, the Autobot mentally shook his head. _How, in all the corners of the universe, does she have a movie about us, and how does she know so much about us? That shard, too . . . That's what Optimus sent me after. But it's completely drained of power now. Sure, a good percentage of it from the larger piece was used to bring me back to life, but that little fragment should have had at least a little more power in it._

_Primus! Of course, you idiot. She mentioned a shock when she touched it. This is crazy. This is insane. I'm going to let the crazy girl and the others figure this out. Right now, I just need to get in touch with Optimus. Need to tell him about this nice, sticky situation I've gotten myself into . . ._

_He's _not_ going to be happy._

_........_

"_Jazz to Optimus. Come in."_

Settled into a nice recharge, Optimus Prime found himself ignoring that short little message, the words a mere murmur in his head. Primus, he was persistent, though.

"_Jazz to Optimus Prime. Optimus, if you're ignoring me, so help me, I'll . . ."_

Startled awake by the annoyed tone, the leader of the Autobots blinked in momentary confusion. _"Jazz?"_ he answered over the communications line.

"_There you are!"_ The small mech sounded relieved and frustrated at the same time. _"Were you in recharge?"_

"_Affirmative. I apologize, Jazz. My processor . . . didn't process."_

"_Whatever. Anyway, listen. I don't know how long I'll have to tell you this."_

"_Are you in danger?"_ Concern took over momentarily, then he realized his lieutenant was in a different sort of hurry.

"_No. Look, I found that fragment you sent me after. The Deceptiscum must've dropped it in the stream in his hurry. Primus, that Frenzy's annoying. Anyhow, that's not all."_

Optimus listened carefully to Jazz as he told him about his passenger. _"For once, I'm glad Wheeljack is a scientist," _Jazz said at last, half-joking on that last part._ "Maybe he can explain this insanity."_

"_I'll talk to him. In the meantime, we'll be thinking of aliases for ourselves. Our other human friends will have to stay away for a while until we figure out how to tell her about us."_

"_I was just gonna suggest that. But . . . I don't like the idea of lyin' even more to her."_

"_We'll come clean," _Optimus assured him. _"Just get her here safely, and then we'll worry about it."_

"_As ordered,"_ the other Autobot sighed. _"Jazz out."_

Optimus abandoned all thoughts of finishing his recharge, and got up to search for the recently arrived scientist.

This was going to be . . . interesting.

........

It was, Jazz decided, high time to find a hotel. As he got closer to civilization, he backed off on his speed, settling into the speed limit. All he could see was corn, but there was a small city a few miles up the road. As he checked the internet to see what the town could offer them, he grinned. There was a hotel, restaurants, and a Wal-Mart.

_Perfect,_ he thought as he pulled into a parking spot in front of the small motel. Seeing that the girl was still sound asleep, he reluctantly had his holoform shake her awake. "Rise and shine," he urged, smiling at her disorientation. "I'm going to go check us in. Meanwhile, I need you to do something for me."

He passed a pad of paper and a pen to Kate, then opened his door. "Write down everything you need, and don't forget the sizes. I'll be back."

When he returned, having booked a room for the night, she had finished her list and was trying her hardest to not fall back asleep yet. She looked up at him, drowsiness still heavy in her eyes. "Where're we?" she mumbled, yawning as she held out the list. He pocketed the sheet of paper, then helped her out of the vehicle. "Some small city or whatnot in Iowa. Not really sure where, but it's a place to stop."

"Right," she muttered, doing her best to walk on her own. He collected her bag, then aided the half-asleep girl in walking to the room. Once there, he settled her on one of the beds and removed her shoes, recalling that it wasn't good for someone to sleep with their shoes on. Exactly why, he'd have to ask Ratchet.

That settled, remembering to remove the comforter, he lay down on the other bed and closed his eyes. It didn't even take five minutes for her to slip into the human version of recharge mode. As soon as she was asleep, he got up and left, writing a note that told her he had gone shopping, and that she was to stay put until he got back.

Jazz made a mental note to thank Sam and Mikaela when he saw them again for their foresight. The money they placed in his glove box came very much in handy now as he purchased the items his charge needed. Taking into account the way she was currently dressed, and the things about herself that she had mentioned, he made sure to pick out items he figured she would like.

As he paid for the clothes and toiletries at the checkout, he found himself wondering.

Why in the galaxy did human femmes need all that _stuff?_

_...._

**Edited 4-21-10**


	4. Chapter 4: The Mystery of Kate

_**Chapter Four – The Mystery of Kate**_

The first thing that she was aware of was a soft bed and clean sheets. She kept her eyes closed for a moment or two, not wanting this dream to disappear. After a minute or so, she became aware that it wasn't a dream, and was, in fact, reality.

That was when she opened her eyes, and found herself looking directly at a pile of clothes and other items.

At first, she was confused. What was with all this stuff? Then she remembered the list of things Jack had her make while he checked them in. With a happy grin, she seized the items and entered the bathroom. This shower was going to feel so good.

Thirty minutes later, she stepped out of the shower dripping wet and feeling the cleanest she ever had in a long time. She looked like a different girl, almost. And Jack, she found, had something of a sense of style. She pulled on a pair of blue jeans, buckled a simple belt around her waist, and slid a ribbed, dark teal sleeveless shirt over her head. A khaki jacket and her old fingerless gloves completed the ensemble, along with a new pair of sneakers. When she finally left the bathroom, all her new and old things bagged up, her face was glowing with happiness. As she then pulled her brown hair back in a ponytail, she wondered if her new friend felt any embarrassment at all while picking out and buying some of these items.

_Probably, _she mused, grinning to herself as she hefted her bags. Jack had even brought her bag of electronics in, so that there was no risk of them being stolen.

_Speaking of Jack, where is he?_ It had been eight hours since they had checked in, and her pessimistic side started wondering if he had abandoned her.

_He wouldn't do that,_ she scolded herself. _He's probably outside waiting._

_How do you know?_ Vor asked, reminding her that she knew next to nothing about the guy. Even so, Kate stubbornly refused to think ill of this man. _He got me clothes, didn't he? He promised he'd take us to Nevada._

_There you go with that plural again. Honestly, girl, you've gone crazy._

_Yeah, well . . . solitude does that to you._

_When are you going to tell him about those scars?_

_Later._

_Dearie . . ._

_I said _later_. I'm going outside now._

She opened the door, only to discover her friend sitting on the doorstep, staring off into space. "You okay?" she asked.

He looked up at her, mock surprise crossing his face. "She's alive!"

Kate laughed. "That or I'm sleepwalking. Thanks for the stuff, by the way. I don't know how I could ever repay you for all of this."

"You can live," he answered seriously. "That'd be coo'."

She grinned. "I pay it gladly. Umm . . . Where am I going to put all of this?"

"The ride has a trunk. We can stow it there."

"Sounds coo'," she said teasingly. "Ready to roll?"

"Absolutely." He took her bags for her, stowing the backpack in the front and putting everything else in the trunk. When she got in the car, she found a bag of food awaiting her.

"I already ate," Jack explained. "Just please don't spill anything."

"In a ride as sweet as this? I dare not." She grinned again, carefully chewing on the cinnamon roll he had purchased for her. "Gosh, I was starved."

"I could see that. How long's it been since you had a decent meal, anyhow?"

She thought about that for a moment, which caused her companion great alarm. "Two or three days," she answered at last, increasing that alarm.

He struggled to maintain his composure. "Blast it, Kate," he said, his voice wavering. "Why didn't you tell me? I could've gotten you something to eat. My doctor friend isn't going to be the least bit happy about this."

She smiled dryly. "They rarely are. Especially when they see scars that shouldn't be there."

That attracted his attention. "You have scars?" Concern shot through his voice, electing a reassuring smile from the girl. "I'm fine."

He clearly didn't want to give this up, but he must have known that she wasn't going to, either, and this was no way to go about an inquiry. "All right," he relented. "But if you ever want to talk . . ."

"I know where to find you."

It was several minutes before she spoke again. When she did, she began rummaging through her bag. "Is it okay if I plug in my computer? The battery's dead."

"Go right ahead," he answered, only mildly surprised. "Say, what kinda music you got on that thing?"

"Huh? Oh . . . Skillet, a Linkin Park song, Kutless, Relient K . . . I have pretty mild tastes compared to some, I suppose."

"I don't think I've ever heard of any of those."

"Really? Here, I'll put one on."

_Click-click-click_, went the iPod, then Skillet's song, "The Last Night," began to play. As she listened to the randomly selected song, she decided it was rather ironic, to say the least.

"_You come to me with scars on your wrist,_

"_You tell me this will be the last night feeling like this._

"_I just came to say goodbye,_

"_I didn't want you to see me cry, I'm fine._

"_But I know it's a lie . . ."_

As it went into the chorus, she let out a quiet sigh, fingering her left wrist idly. She was in no way suicidal. Regardless, her stubborn will to live wouldn't let her kill herself. People assumed she was, though. But then, they never did ask. And if they didn't ask, she figured, they didn't care.

Somehow, she knew Jack cared, even though he hadn't asked. How could one ask if they were oblivious?

"You seem preoccupied," Jack observed. "Everything coo'?"

Kate couldn't help but laugh. "I can't get over how you say that," she told him, not trying to avoid the question but managing it anyway. "You sound like a friendly gangster."

His insanely blue eyes sparkled. "That's okay with me. I can dig that."

She shook her head, smirking. "Oh, shut up."

"I could, but it'd be an awfully quiet ride to Nevada."

Kate smiled, yawning. "I'm kinda surprised I'm still tired, but then I'm also not. It isn't as if I got very good sleep these past few months."

Jack pressed a button on the dashboard, heating the seat she sat in. "Go ahead and get some sleep," he advised. "I'll wake you in a while so you can eat."

Reluctantly at first, Kate relented, closing her eyes with a contented sigh. "Thanks," she murmured, prompting a smile from her new friend. "Any time."

She slept for a long time, only waking up just as Jack exited the highway. "Food?" she guessed.

"You got it. By the way, welcome to Nebraska. Oh, I called my doctor friend, and he said I should have you eat soup for a while."

"So . . ." Kate looked at the signs. "Panera?"

"Sounds good to me." He parked outside the restaurant, and they went inside. Ten minutes later, they each sat down with a bowl of soup and a steaming mug of hot chocolate.

"Easy, there," Jack cautioned. "With only a cinnamon roll in two days, you need to eat slowly."

Kate decided salty chicken noodle soup in a sourdough bread bowl had never tasted so good. She did her best to follow his instructions, but it was hard to restrain herself as she brought each bite to her mouth.

"Almost forgot what food tasted like," she joked, starting on her hot chocolate as soon as her soup was devoured. Already finished with his own, Jack smiled. "Can't have that," he chided. "Ready?"

Kate gathered their dishes and put them in the bin as Jack threw away their trash. "Let's roll."

* * *

**Edited 4-21-10**


	5. Chapter 5: Cover Story

_**Chapter Five – Cover Story**_

Many country songs, other music albums, several gas stops, seven restaurants, two hotels, and two states later, Utah was left in their dust and Nevada passed beneath their tires at five miles per hour over the speed limit. Kate had long since given up on trying to get him to obey that law, deciding that if he wanted to get a ticket, he could have one.

"It's not as if you're starving for money," she said.

Jack grinned. "The car was actually free. A gift. Me and my friends used to live in New Orleans, but . . . well, you know what happened with Hurricane Katrina. Anyway, we moved out here after the evac, and some wealthy family gave me this Pontiac."

"Oh . . . I'm sorry. How many of you are there?"

"Well, let's see . . . There's Peter Stark and Ian Hyde, for starters. Both are married, but we don't know what happened to Elly and Cor, their wives. We got separated during the evac, and we don't know if they're dead or alive. We're still looking for them, and hoping they'll find us."

"That's got to be hard."

"Yeah," Jack admitted. "It hit them and the rest of us pretty hard. Anyway, there's also Benjamin Stark, Pete's nephew. And the doctor, who's also a mechanical genius, Ray Childs. And there's me, Jack Turner. There's more of us, and we're hoping they'll head our way. We live in a big, converted military base or warehouse, or somethin'. Courtesy of the government. Plenty o' room for anyone, even this crazy scientist friend of ours. You'll meet him later."

"I can hardly wait to meet them. So how far away are we?"

"Only a few minutes, actually. Ah, here's the turnoff. Now, Ben might not be there. He actually spends most of his time in some town I forget the name of in California. Comes over on weekends, usually, but it's Monday, so it'll be a while before you can meet the only other fun guy of the group – for now."

"Are the others more serious?"

"Pete and Hyde go back a ways. They're ex-military, and still have something of that mentality. Hyde loves to blow things up, and Pete's a natural leader."

"What about you?"

"Me? A DJ. We've all got jobs, but we're using our vacation days right now. I went to D.C. and New York to see the sights, made a stop at Macinac Island, then met you. Say, where did you used to live, back when your bro was still alive?"

"Some small corner of Ohio. I have absolutely no desire to go back. There's nothing for me there."

"Well, you're welcome to make a new start here. Speaking of which, here's my home."

Kate stared in amazement the huge construction, which looked something like a hangar rearing up out of the desert. It was huge, making her feel like an ant next to the enormous walls of brown corrugated metal. "You weren't kidding."

"And this is just the warehouse aboveground. The base is underneath."

"Awesome!"

Jack grinned. "Wait 'til you actually see it."

"What are we waiting for, then? Let's go!"

........

Jazz was extremely glad he had worked out a story with the others and learned their new aliases. Otherwise, he would have been in a rather tight spot, there. As it was, when Kate met Wheeljack, his spark spluttered, and he nearly lost control of his holoform, giving away the whole secret. Thankfully, he was able to keep it solid, and she didn't notice the flicker.

It started with the introductions. All the Autobots had their holoforms line up to greet their new guest in the large, empty warehouse above the actual base, starting with Optimus on one end and Wheeljack on the other. Their true forms were below, in a section Kate would not be allowed to enter.

Kate found herself standing in front of the latter first. "You must be that scientist Jack mentioned," she said with a grin. "I'm Kate."

He shook her hand, grinning back. "A pleasure to meet you. I'm Will Jackson."

"Hey, that sounds like Wheeljack!"

That was when Jazz froze. Had she figured them out already? She wasn't going to be mad at him, was she?

Jazz forced himself to calm down. If he overreacted, then she would find out for sure.

To his credit, Wheeljack merely raised his eyebrows. "Who is this Wheeljack you speak of?"

"Oh, he's an Autobot. He's not in the '07 movie, so I don't really know much about him. I just know that he's a scientist who has a knack for blowing things up, and is a frequent visitor of Ratchet."

Said Autobot laughed. "Seems he and I are somewhat alike."

"Can I call you Wheeljack, then?"

"I don't see why not."

Jazz cut in. "I wonder if 'Wheeljack' would know what that shard of metal is." He gave the scientist a pointed glare.

"Oh, yeah!" Kate dug into her pocket and brought out the shard, handing it to a very interested holoform. "Found it in a stream in Michigan."

"Hmm. Well, I can't tell you without some tests. My guess is just something from a broken piece of furniture."

"It gave me a shock when I picked it up," the teenager offered.

"Probably some static discharge. Nothing to worry about, my dear. Ah, if you'll excuse me, I have an experiment that I need to get back to. Goodbye!"

"Bye, Wheeljack!"

A stern, older-looking man turned to give his own parting words. "Don't blow yourself up again," he warned. "I'm going to be busy giving this young lady a checkup, and I _don't_ need to see your injured self in my med bay."

Jazz guided Kate to the man. "This is our resident doctor," he told her.

"Ray Childs," Ratchet introduced himself. "I hope you don't mind being my patient. Jack tells me you've been malnourished, and have possibly suffered abuse."

"That's a given," Kate answered dryly. "Kidnappers aren't usually very nice to their victims. Anyhow, I'll try to not freak out. Haven't ever really liked check ups."

Ratchet looked at Jazz, and the saboteur shrugged. "All right," the medic said after a moment, giving her a reassuring smile. "I'll see you after you've been introduced. Jack, if you'll bring her to my office, I'll be going to get ready, now."

"Sure thing, doc." Jazz was extremely grateful that they had a human-sized med bay for such occasions. As Ratchet left, he led the girl to Ironhide and Optimus. "An' here are the old fogies."

"Ian Hyde," Ironhide said, giving a glare to the younger mech.

"Where's Dr. Jekyll?" Kate joked.

The weapons specialist looked confused, prompting a giggle from the girl. "It's reference to a classic book, _The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde_. The name pretty much sums up what it's like."

"Oh, yes." Ironhide smiled, running a callused hand through salt-and-pepper hair. "Sorry, it's been a while since I've read it. I understand now."

Optimus shook his head, unable to keep a small smile of amusement from crossing his face. "Jack, you do remember that I'm technically a decade younger than Hyde? He's the 'old fart,' as I've heard you so eloquently put it before."

Jazz grinned back. "Yeah, I know, Pete. But still, you're pretty much the leader here, if we were some sort of organization. And you're, what, the second, third oldest?"

Optimus gave him a slightly exasperated look, then turned to Kate. "Greetings," he said. "I am Peter Stark."

"He's the dad, here," Jazz added. "That's the word I was looking for! An' Hyde's like an uncle."

"Gee, thanks," Ironhide grumbled, rolling his eyes. "That makes me feel so much better."

Optimus chuckled. "Why don't you go get Kate settled, then take her to the infirmary," he suggested.

"Will do. C'mon, Katie-girl."

"Okay. Bye, Uncle Hyde," she teased. "Bye, Mr. Stark. It was nice to meet you guys."

"Farewell, Kate."

Jazz laughed as he heard Ironhide's complaint about his new title. "The twins hear about this, I'll never hear the end of it," the older mech sighed.

Optimus was quick to reassure him. "Relax, Hyde. I'll keep them off your back."

Jazz couldn't resist. As they left the room, he called back gleefully, "Good luck with that, Pete! I'll be sure to visit you in the asylum."

Kate laughed. "These twins make much trouble?"

Jazz rolled his holoform's eyes. "You have no idea."

* * *

**Edited 4-21-10**


	6. Chapter 6: Banana Peels Are Nasty

**Shini-666:** Thank you so much for your detailed reviews. They helped me out a _lot_. Most of the stuff you mentioned, I incorporated into the existing story. Thanks for the tip on separating scenes! Anyway, I also took your suggestion on the shopping scene, which you shall see in this chapter. Vor is also explained a little more, as is Kate's behavior. She isn't quite as normal as she appears, and I'm going to work that into chapter seven. Apart from that, the movie feels more real to Kate than to others. Why, she doesn't know yet. I'll be addressing that, too, in the future. I gave the warehouse a little more description in my edit, but I'll be waiting to describe the base until later. To be honest, though, I don't know how much I would have thought to add without your help. Thank you!

Yeah, Peter Stark comes from Peterbilt (and coincidentally the voice actor's name) and Tony Stark, as well as Nathan Stark from _Eureka_. And no worries, she'll notice Ironhide's name similarities. I was just only able to use one joke there, and I chose that one. *grins* Ratchet's name is also similar, you might notice. Bumblebee's name is a little farther away than the others', as it only has the "b" in common. I was thinking of naming him something like, "Ben Vullie," which sounds similar, but I decided to have his cover be that he's "Peter's" nephew. Again, thank you!

**Trickster91: **Thank you for the correction on Ratchet's equivalent age. It's incorporated into the edit of the last chapter, and this one. And you shall not be disappointed! I've read a bunch of FanFics with the twins, and absolutely love the pranks. *big grin* As a warning, though, they may be slightly OOC, because all I know of them is from the FanFics.

**All you others:** Thank you for reading and reviewing!

* * *

_**Chapter Six – Banana Peels Are Nasty**_

"Primus, 'Jack, what were you thinking?"

Wheeljack looked up from the metal shard he was studying. "What do you mean? 'Jack.'"

Jazz made an exaggerated gesture with his holoform's hands. "Your name. You couldn't think of something further away from 'Wheeljack'? I thought she had us figured for a moment, there. You, Ironhide, and Ratchet are some of the most _un_subtle mechs I have _ever _met."

"You want to be able to tell her yourself, without her getting mad at you," Wheeljack observed, unfazed by his friend's rant.

Jazz sighed, calming down. "She's been hurt enough. She may not show it, but it's there, buried deep. It's like she's blocking it all out just so she can function. Who knows, maybe Vor's a product of her ordeal, helping her cope. She needs to see that people do care about her, and I want to show her that. If she finds out who we really are before the right time, that's going to be foremost in her mind. She's going to think she's completely crazy, and she won't get to know us as we really are. She'll be . . . What's the human word? Oh, yes. 'Star dazzled.'"

"Isn't it 'star struck'?" Wheeljack shook his head. "You'll have to tell her sometime. Besides, I don't think those pesky Decepticons will leave us alone just because you ask."

"I know. Just please be careful."

"Are you referring to my experiments, or to what I say to Kate?"

Jazz grinned. "Both."

........

Kate sat on the examination table with no small amount of trepidation. "It's not going to hurt, is it?"

Dr. Childs, or Ray, as he insisted on being called, gave her a comforting smile. "Only if you have broken bones that need to be set, or I accidentally touch something sore. Otherwise, no."

"Okay." She shrugged off her jacket as instructed, but kept her gloves on. Noticing this, Ray nodded at the cloth enveloping her palms and wrists. "Those, too."

Kate hesitated, long enough to tip the medic off to the fact that she was hiding something. Without waiting for her to comply, he caught her left wrist and pulled the glove off, then did the same with her right.

At first she thought he wouldn't notice. Then she saw him do a double-take, and he grabbed her hands again, turning them palm-upwards.

He hissed an expletive as he stared at her wrists. Then, his voice that of a man deeply shocked and horrified, "How did you get these?"

Kate winced, but was grateful that he didn't immediately assume attempted-suicide. "My kidnappers once decided they would off me in a way that didn't look like murder. I survived by getting to a hospital. Ever since, no one's listened to my side, and everyone always assumes I tried to kill myself."

"I've noticed that problem," Ray said, still staring at the very clear scars that slashed their way across her wrists. "People make themselves deaf to what they don't want to hear."

"And more often than not, end up hurting people in the process, be it others or themselves." She sighed, pulling her hands back as he let them go. "That's human nature for you, though not everyone is like that."

"So I've noticed. Are . . . you all right?"

"Right now, yeah. Can we get on with this? I don't really like the idea of a 'check up.'"

Ray nodded. "All right. Let's get an X-ray of you, and see what there is to see . . ."

........

"Hey, doc. How's my new friend doin'?"

Kate looked away from the medic, grinning happily. "Jack! I was wondering where you'd gone off to."

He laughed. "If I'd stuck around, the doc would've had my hide."

"Darn straight," the medic grumbled. "All right, Jack. Take good care of her. I'll let you know what I find."

Jack chuckled. "She got you goin' easy on the language, too, I see."

"At least those infernal twins aren't here, yet."

"I miss them," Jack said by way of answer. "But, yeah, they'd have you spoutin' off words that would make the devil himself cryin' for mercy."

Kate winced. "That bad, huh?"

"Oh, he's nice enough, but our Ray can have quite the temper. Say, Vor been conversin' with ya lately?"

Ray perked up. "Who's Vor?"

"My voice of reason," Kate explained.

"Oh, yes. Now I remember. Jack mentioned that to me."

"He did, did he? Well, anyhow, things have been active enough that she's stayed pretty quiet. Which is kind of a relief, as she hadn't shut up for a while, before I met you. It's nice to feel sane for once."

"Trust me," Ray said dryly. "Meet the twins, and you'll doubt that sanity every waking moment. I found myself doubting it in my sleep before we were split up during the evac."

"Yeah, I heard something about that. Hey, how old are you?"

_Dearie, where are your manners?_

_Back in that room, where my life turned into a nightmare, Vor._

_You didn't salvage any?_

_None whatsoever._

_Your loss, then._

Ray must have noticed her sudden far away look, for he waited until she returned her attention to him before he spoke. "Approximately forty-five. Hyde's in his late fifties, though he's as spry as Peter most days. The twins give him good exercise."

"How old is Mr. Stark?"

"Well, Peter's thirty-nine. Little Ben – not so little anymore – is in his early twenties. Jack, here, is twenty-five."

"And what about Wheeljack?"

Ray chuckled. "That moron's only a little younger than me. Might want to stay away from his lab, by the way. Things can get rather . . . explosive."

Kate laughed. "You know, I wonder if Uncle Hyde would mind me calling him Ironhide."

Jack blinked. "Like the Autobot?"

"Yeah. His name's really close. 'Ian Hyde.' Soldier, too. I'm surprised you guys haven't watched the movie before. It's a real guy-movie."

"Sometime in the near future," Jack promised. "Come on, let's get you something to eat."

"Soup, remember," Ray reminded them. "Your system still has to adjust to ingesting food again."

Kate gave him a thumbs-up. "Yes, sir!"

........

At first, Jazz hadn't been sure if he could eat human food. That morning in Iowa had been his first time. It was a coffee he had tried initially, curious if it was as good as people said it was.

He didn't know if other kinds of coffee tasted better, or what. All he knew was, this concoction tasted _horrible._ He tried it black, and found it nasty. He put sugar in, but it still didn't taste good. Creamer went in next, and it was a bit of an improvement, but no. Absolutely not. It might taste good for some humans, but for him, it was indigestible.

So he tried a biscuit. Now that was good, especially when it was topped with honey. Sticky and messy, but tasty.

He tried a cinnamon roll, too, and loved it. Smothered with frosting, it was the best human food item he had ever tasted. Which, considering it was only the third thing he had ever tried, wasn't saying much. Nevertheless, he chose that for his charge's breakfast. He bought two of them, and a carton of milk, and brought them to the hotel. Later, at Panera, he had cheddar broccoli soup, and found it completely delicious. Oh, and the hot chocolate . . . Now _there_ was a hot drink for him.

So it was, he found himself sitting across from Kate, munching away at a banana as she ate her chicken noodle soup. When she was done, she pushed her bowl aside and sighed in contentment. Jazz just kept eating his fruit – or herb, as he discovered – while being careful not to eat the peel. In the kitchen, he had nibbled at that part in curiosity.

Nasty.

Kate watched him from across the table, intent on something she neglected to mention. After a couple minutes of this, Jazz looked up. "What's up?"

She was silent for another few moments, then she answered. "I was just curious. Were you at all embarrassed when you shopped for the stuff you got me?"

His face, though dark, turned noticeably redder. Boy, did he ever. He doubted he could ever forget that humiliating moment when he realized just what some of the things he was shopping for, were.

_Jazz grabbed a cart as soon as he entered the store. With this extensive list in hand, he knew, he would be needing it._

_The first things were simple enough. Shirts, a jacket, jeans, socks, sneakers . . ._

_Then things began to get a little more touchy._

_It was the underwear that first started him down this road of embarrassment. It wasn't so bad, however. All he had to do was grab the specific size and style that she liked, and toss it in the cart. That was it. No staring at it to determine if she would like it or not. Same went for the bras, as he diligently covered up the picture on the label as he checked the sizes. That done, it was off to the toiletries._

_Shampoo, conditioner, soap, razors, shave gel, hair products, face wash, face treatment, thermal pads, and deodorant weren't bad, either. Those were simple, really, as she knew specifically what kinds she wanted. Then came that _one_ item. It was abbreviated, as if she had forgotten that she was giving this to a man who needed it spelled out in whole. For the life of him, he could not figure out what it meant, no matter where he looked on the internet. Then he showed it to a female sales clerk, and she smiled knowingly. "I know exactly what it is, sir," she told him. "Follow me."_

_He followed her, completely unaware of what he was walking into. When they came to the appropriate aisle, his face scrunched up in confusion. "What . . .?" he began, trailing off. A quick check on the internet explained it all._

_"Oh," was all he could say, as his face burned in humiliation. _I am definitely not telling the others about this. I would never live this down,_ he reflected, swallowing his pride as he grabbed what Kate needed. _She had better be happy about this,_ he grumbled to himself._

_He double-checked his list after that, making sure he hadn't missed anything. Satisfied, he cast a critical eye over the full cart, making a face as he did so. It was a lot of stuff for one human femme. He hoped he had gotten the correct items, because there was no way he was picking out those embarrassing things by himself again . . ._

Kate laughed at his expression, unaware of what was going on in his mind. "I'll take that as a yes, then," she teased. "Sorry, I was half-asleep when I wrote that list."

"It's all right," he assured her. "I just don't think I'll ever want to repeat that experience."

"You sure?"

Jazz nodded. "Quite."

She laughed, but was interrupted by a yawn. "I think I'm ready to go to bed now. What time is it?"

"Eleven-thirty, Pacific time. That would make it . . . two-thirty, Eastern time."

"Two o' clock?!" She shook her head. "No wonder I'm tired. Um . . . I kinda forgot the way."

He grinned at her, rising from his chair. "Don't stress," he told her. "I'll show you."

* * *

**Edited 4-21-10**


	7. Chapter 7: Baked Oatmeal

It's been a while since I've updated this, and I apologize for that. Many thanks to those who reviewed: **Mackinator**, **Rob Lockster**, **Elita One**, **Meirelle**,**animeblues911**, **TigerChickTigriss**, **Trickster91**, **BubbleBaZooka**, **GundamGirlie456**, **ArmoredSoul**, and especially **Shini-666**, whose detailed reviews are very helpful. Again, sorry for taking so long, and I hope you enjoy the update!

* * *

_**Chapter Seven – Baked Oatmeal**_

_She fought him as much as she could, though some part of her knew it was futile. She could feel her mind shutting down at the horror of it. Finally, all she could do was weep and beg. "Stop it," she cried uselessly. "Stop . . ."_

_He ignored her, whispering things in her ear that her numb mind couldn't comprehend. He leered down at her, and she somehow grasped what he was about to do. Her eyes widened, and she gave one last, desperate, ineffective shove against the shadow._

"_NO!!"_

Kate awoke with her own shout ringing in her ears, her voice mingling with the tortured cry in her dream.

No. Not a dream . . .

A memory.

She didn't know if she would ever have the courage to tell her new friends. As it was, adrenaline coursed through her veins, her heart pounded against her ribcage, her nightclothes were soaked with sweat, and she was in somewhat of a state of denial. Suppressing her memories only made things worse, as they flooded her mind and pounded against its defenses with each onslaught. Her subconscious spawned her "voice of reason," it seemed, to help her cope after the first few nightmares. She had taken it in stride, not realizing she was going insane. It was only when she had escaped the first time that she realized this reality.

The second kidnapping and the similar, repetitive torture only made things worse. Everyone had abandoned her, and there was no hope for rescue. Finally, she was able to escape again. As she walked down that highway in Michigan, she buried the memories deep, and pretended she was just fine. Physically, she had a few aches and pains. Mentally . . .

It would take much more than Vor to mend the hurt, the resulting fear. She had heard it took years for some victims to recover, but no one ever really did. The scars would still be there, like the ones on her wrists.

Stark and clear to the beholder.

Without thinking, guided by at least two years of practice, she shoved the memories under. As always, however, there was the lingering fear. What if the monster came through that door, and attacked her where she lay?

_Easy, honey,_ Vor comforted her. This was the purpose for which she had been born, a role she filled well. _You're safe, now. Remember? You have friends._

The feeling began to fade, and Kate laughed at herself. "It's just a nightmare. Nothing like that really happened."

Vor was silent for a moment. When she spoke again, there was sadness and worry in her voice. _Yeah . . . Just a nightmare._

Neither spoke for a minute, then Vor sighed. _You're going to have to remember soon, Kate. This isn't good for you. Sooner or later, you're going to be forced to remember, and the chance of recovery from that is small._

Exhausted, she closed her eyes. "Later," she murmured. "Night, Vor."

Vor sighed again. _Go__odnight, Katherine._

_........_

Come morning, Kate had completely forgotten about her nightmare. She remembered the fact that she had one, but all the details were lost to her.

While Vor wasn't very happy about this, grumping and griping incoherently, Kate was just fine with it. If it was a nightmare, she'd rather not remember, thank you very much.

Just the same, despite forgetting the details of the dream, and the fear that came with it, she was still quite edgy. Hyde noticed it as he picked her up for breakfast. "You okay, kid?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah . . . I'm fine." She forced a smile, shrugging as they walked through the enormous hallway. "Just had a nightmare last night, is all."

"Really? What was it about?"

"I don't remember." She gave a not-quite-genuine laugh, causing him to give her another worried look. "Vor said I have to remember it all soon," she explained. "She said if I don't remember willingly, the chance of recovery is small."

He digested that for a moment. "You're forcing yourself to forget things?"

"I guess. I don't know. I've got some blank spots, but I don't remember making myself forget. I guess that got buried, too."

"I don't understand. Why would you make yourself forget?"

"I think something really bad happened. Vor says it's the reason why she exists. I am, you know, certifiably crazy."

"I'd say only partly insane. Aside from repressing your memories and the existence of this voice in your head, you seem to be otherwise normal."

"Well, thank you," she said with a grin. "Not everyone would agree with you, but it's the thought that counts. Say, any idea what's for breakfast?"

"Jack wanted to make cinnamon rolls," Hyde answered with a chuckle. "I think the one he said he had at the McDonalds – or was it Burger King? – was the first one he ever tried, so he's kind of stuck on them right now. Pete stepped in and made a bunch of something called baked oatmeal."

"Oh, I _love_ baked oatmeal! That stuff's so good. Just wait until you try it. You can have it dry, or you can pour milk over it. I love doing that. The contrast between the hot oatmeal and the cold milk is cool, too. Or as Jack would say, 'is coo', 's'well.'"

Hyde got a good laugh out of that. "Accents are fun to play with."

"I think it's cool how you're all from the same place but have different accents. I mean, you're like a Texan, Jack's a New Yorker, and the others are kinda unidentifiable to me."

"After Katrina, we travelled a bit, and picked up the accents of where we visited. When we got back together, we had a collage."

"Neat. Hey, can I call you Ironhide? Like the Autobot in the movie I told Jack about."

"Sure, fine with me. If it gives you something you can identify with, go for it."

"Thanks," she said, smiling for real. "You know, it's kind of strange. I've always had this feeling about the movie, like I was missing something . . . Maybe I'll find out when we watch it together."

"Maybe," he agreed. "Here's the kitchen. Smells like the stuff's in the oven."

"That 'stuff' is the best breakfast food in the history of mankind. In my opinion, of course. Hey, Mr. Stark!"

"Good morning, Kate," the addressee answered, smiling as he turned from the oven to face her. "How was your sleep?"

"Fine," she half-lied. "Woke up once in the middle of the night, but went back to sleep in short order. Where's Jack?"

"Right here, kiddo," came the familiar drawl of her friend. He had come in behind her and Hyde, looking positively perky. "Feelin' better this mornin'?"

"Yep. Any news on your friends out there in the world?"

Jack grinned gleefully, ecstatic about something. "Don't tell Ray – he should probably be informed alone and in a separate room to avoid injuries to hapless bystanders – but we got a call from two of 'em today. It was a bad connection – horrible cell phone service – but we managed to communicate. It's the twins, Max and Micah Creigo."

Hyde groaned. "Heaven help us."

Kate frowned. "Shouldn't you be happy that they found you?"

"Oh, I'm happy, don't get me wrong. I'm just cursing my luck that the two biggest pranksters in the galaxy – that may be overdoing it, but it's the truth – that the two biggest pranksters in the galaxy are about to come and join us in our formerly neat and orderly home. The place is going to be rubble before you know it."

Kate grinned. "I like them already."

Hyde looked like he was trying to hold in a particularly nasty string of words. "Better keep her away from them," he finally choked out before fleeing from the room. Kate's wondering expression must have been something, because the two remaining men started laughing.

"Hyde's been through a lot of grief through the years because of those two," Peter explained once he had caught his breath a bit. "Yes, he actually was happy to hear that the twins are alive and well, but not so happy to find out they're coming here. Having to deal with pranks while working on our new home was not at the top of his list."

"An' the doc will throw a fit for sure. Pete, can you tell the guy? I don't want t' risk bearing his wrath."

Peter chuckled again as the timer dinged, signaling it was time to take the delicious-smelling breakfast food out of the oven. As he checked to make sure it was done, he nodded. "I can delegate the task to myself. In the meantime, the morning meal is ready."

"Oh, thank you!" Kate pulled the milk out of the fridge, smiling happily. "It's been _so_ long since I last had this. Hey, Wheeljack!"

Jackson slid to a stop inside the kitchen's doorway, his black hair tousled from running and his teeth showing in his grin. "Hey, Kate! Morning, Jack, Pete. Hyde just went past. Said something about the twins?"

"They're coming," Jack confirmed. He checked his watch. "In fact, a couple of you need to go meet them, I think. I'll stay here with Kate, and meet them later."

"When and where will we meet them?" Peter asked.

"In two hours, thirty miles from here. I'll get you the coordinates as soon as you talk to the doc."

"Excellent," Jackson said cheerily. "My two favorite guinea pigs are on their way."

"Jackson," Peter said, a warning in his voice. The scientist took the hint. "I'll try to not blow anything up," he promised, scooping out some baked oatmeal and taking a bite. Not quite satisfied, he drowned it in milk and tasted it again.

"Much better!" he praised, already heading out the door. "Good luck on getting the doc to stay calm!"

"Thanks, 'Wheeljack,'" Jack answered with a grin in Peter's stead. "Pete's gonna need it."

Kate looked from one to the other, grinning as she got herself some food. "Yeah," she agreed, "I think I'll stay here. Have fun, Mr. Stark."

Peter sighed, shaking his head. "Times like these," he muttered. The rest of the thought was left to the imagination, but it wasn't hard to figure out what he was going to say.

Laughing in amusement, Kate poured the milk over her oatmeal and dug in, glad that she had taken the opportunity to get in a Pontiac and ride all the way to Nevada. The twins sounded like they would be fun, too.

She laughed again as she mused over this. _I can hardly wait.

* * *

_

**Edited 4-21-10**


	8. Chapter 8: Permission to Maim, Sir?

Thank you very much for reviewing, **Trickster91**, **Rob Lockster**, **GundamGirlie456**, **Mackinator**, **Meirelle**, **AutobotGirl6**, **GrimlyMystical**, **ArmoredSoul**,**whitedino**, and **autobotgirl12328**!

**Trickster91** – An excellent point. I may not have thought of that without you reminding me. Thank you!

**ArmoredSould** – You're right. ;-) Jack = Jazz, and Jackson = Wheeljack.

**whitedino** – Thank you. It's good to see more of us here. :-)

**Snicker** – Not that I'm fully expecting you to read this, here is my defense. I do not believe I am being cruel, though I apologize if you think I am; I am simply expressing my beliefs. You don't have to share them, though I might wish you did. I realize I may come off as a little too strong in saying this, but I am not shy in stating the fact that the idea of homosexuality repulses me. As the Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 1:16, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes."

You said, and I quote, "if God didn't want gay people, there wouldn't be gay people." I disagree. Romans 1:24-32 elaborates, but before I continue, I should add that I am aware that only those who believe the Bible is true will believe what I am saying here. Continuing, 1:18-21 talk about how God's wrath is revealed "against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown [it] to them." Verses 20-21 talk about how God's invisible attributes can clearly be seen in His creation, and how those who deny it are without defense for this action. Instead of glorifying God and thanking him, they "became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened." 1:22-23 continue, telling how they professed themselves to be wise, becoming fools, and committed idolatry. Then God let them do as they wished according to their sinful desires. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped creation rather than creator. 1:26-27 say, "For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due. And even as they did not like to retain God in [their] knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting." Please understand, the wording clearly states that homosexuality is not God's wish. Don't just take my word for it, however. Read the passage yourself, and try to understand it. Consult with Christian leaders, such as a pastor. Again, I am aware that you may not be so agreeable with me, and while you may not believe what I wrote here, I have done what I can to explain myself. **HOWEVER,** that is not to say I hate people. I may hate homosexuality, but I do not see that as a reason to ridicule someone or to treat them like they're some lowlife. Just because someone's gay doesn't mean they're not nice. In no way do I hate them. I may disagree with them, but that doesn't mean I can't be a friend to them. I just won't bring it up if they don't want me to.

On the next matter, I fail to see how my dislike of gay relationships has anything to do with the possibility of my character being a Mary Sue. I know I have things to work though with my writing – I'm an unprofessional, after all, having been a writer for only five or six years. If you could tell me how to make my character less Mary Sue-ish, please tell me, so that I can learn. And I have to wonder, though we will probably never know, would you have liked the story more if you had not known my beliefs? This is, I know, something which quite possibly will never be answered, so don't feel any need to do so. Thank you for giving me a chance to explain myself, however, even if you never read this.

* * *

_**Chapter Eight – Permission to Maim, Sir?**_

"Ratchet."

"Oh, Optimus. There you are. What's got Hide so riled up?"

Optimus Prime's holoform entered the human-sized med bay warily. "Two new Autobots are on their way. Jazz will provide us with the coordinates, but I'd like you to stay here while Ironhide and I go greet them."

Ratchet made a show of looking indifferent. "It's great news, Prime. Really, it is. But what does it have to do with me, and why does it have you looking so jumpy?"

"Two Autobots."

"Two Autobots who could be any of a hundred at least, up into the thousands."

Optimus nodded, struggling to restrain himself from just telling the medic. He wanted "Hatchet" to figure it out on his own. "Two Autobots," he repeated, "and I'm telling you. Alone."

Ratchet snorted. "Primus, you're acting like it's the twins, or something." He froze, comprehension dawning quite suddenly. "Oh, Primus, no," he whispered in horror. "Sure, I'm glad they're alive, but did it have to be _them_? Now? Couldn't we have had another decade to prepare for those two?"

"I don't think any number of years will fully prepare us for the chaos those two bring," Optimus pointed out.

"Now I see why Hide was risking discovery by swearing in Cybertronian and looking like he wanted to tear someone's head off." Ratchet sighed, his right holographic eye twitching every few seconds. The resulting sight was quite funny, actually, and Optimus would have given an appreciative chuckle if that wouldn't have put his safety at risk. "Sometimes I think you're rather too violent," he confided. "As the humans say, 'Don't kill the messenger.' I think some Cybertronians have said it, too, eons past."

"It's my violence that's kept me alive," Ratchet grumbled. "And it's my violence that's kept those two remotely in line over the millennia. Not many would willingly face my wrench."

"Seems like those two would," Optimus replied. "Any word on Kate's X-rays?"

Ratchet nodded, obviously glad to have his mind on something else. "Primitive devices," he said, moving over to a glowing board on one side of the room. He stuck some translucent black sheets into the top of the board, revealing various pictures of different parts of a skeleton. "She doesn't have anything broken, though her shoulder shows signs of having been dislocated in the past. She has many bruises all over her body, and various scars, including remnants from an attempt at murder on her wrists, which is why she is reluctant to remove her gloves. I can't do thorough tests until after we reveal ourselves to her, so this will have to do for now, I suppose. There are tests I can run, but she is being abnormally . . . shy, Jazz said it was. Fearful, even, of some tests. Though she understands the necessity of them, she has asked that they be postponed until a later date. Hopefully Jazz will tell her before it becomes necessary to use human medical tools."

"And let us hope that she does not become angry with us for keeping this secret from her. I had best go, now. Should I say hello to the twins for you?"

"No, I'll tell them myself. No reason to bash them over their heads _yet_. Unless that last prank back on Cybertron was theirs. That fire-retardant foam took forever to clean up."

Optimus chuckled. "I'll warn them to be careful, then. We'll be back by evening."

"Unless Sunstreaker's pickiness prevents him from finding the right alt mode, or Sideswipe decides to give you a prank by way of saying hello," the medic mused. "Who picked what alias, by the way?"

"Jazz gave the twins a quick briefing on our situation here, instructing them to find suitable names for themselves. He chose the name Creigo for them, knowing the extensive number of surnames on the planet and knowing at least seven by that name lived in New Orleans. Sideswipe chose Max, Sunstreaker chose Micah. Though, they might have had a little help in that regard."

"Let me guess. Jazz gave them appropriate options for them to choose from, thus preventing them from choosing a name like Ryuu, Benno, or Aniruddha."

"Japanese for 'dragon,' German for 'bear,' and Sanskrit for 'unobstructed' or 'ungovernable.' Nice," Optimus complimented. "Perhaps Sideswipe should have chosen that last one, though it would then present the problem of having to find an Indian holoform and Indian surname – for both of them. And then Sunstreaker would have had to find a name like Devdan."

"'Gift of the gods'? Please, let's not encourage 'Micah.' He's vain enough as is."

Optimus laughed, waving goodbye as he stepped toward the door. "Kate has already been told their names, so they will be unable to change them from this point on. See you this evening, Ratchet."

"Yeah, see you."

........

"Hey, Jack. How long have you known the twins?"

"Well, let's see. Ben's twenty-one, I'm twenty-five, so the twins would be twenty-three by now. We've known each other since we were kids, really. Pete never really figured it out, but I had a big part in the pranks back then. I got more of a kick out of them than Micah, who got talked into pranking a lot. Mostly he'd be worried about that blonde hair of his, fussing over its appearance every second of the day. You know, I don't think Hyde ever found out that I had a part in painting his truck hot pink. To this day, I'm not sure how Max got his hands on that paint. Of course, he probably had a stash somewhere we didn't know about. Then there was the time we painted little hearts all over his truck. That time, I got caught, but it was worth it."

"What'd he do?" Kate urged, fascinated. "How much did you get in trouble?"

"Oh, I got reamed a good one. First car I got – little old Buick, dirty tan – was subject to the same treatment we gave his truck. Hot pink, with little hearts and flowers all over."

Kate grinned. "Well, at least you had a reason to repaint the car. What color did you change it to?"

"Dark gray and blue. Figured silver wouldn't work too well for that model car."

"Yeah, silver only really works for classy cars, like a Pontiac. Hey, did you know you drive the exact model Jazz chooses in the movie?"

Jack tilted his head to the side a bit. "I seem to recall you mentioning that he was a Pontiac Solstice. But hey, what can I say?" He grinned. "We both have good tastes."

Kate laughed. "Yep. You know, ever since I first saw _Transformers_, I've been fascinated with Pontiacs. I think I only ever saw one Solstice in my life, though, and that was just in passing. Didn't really get a good look at it, but still. It's a cool car."

"That it is," Jack agreed. "So, lookin' forward t' meetin' the twins?"

"Oh, you betcha. Hey, think Max would like being pranked?"

Jack took one look at her mischievous expression and grinned. "I think we can arrange something. Why, what'd you have in mind?"

She held a finger to her lips. "Can't tell ya yet. Don't worry, I'll get a picture of it. That is, if I can borrow a camera when the time comes."

Jack laughed, shaking his head. "I like the way ya think, girl. C'mon, now, I'll give ya a tour of this level. Can't go on the others, they're still under reconstruction."

Kate put their bowls in the dishwasher and joined him at the door. "Tour sounds great. After you, then?"

Jack put an arm around her shoulders in a friendly gesture. "This way, 'kiddo.'"

She poked him in the side, sticking her tongue out at him. "Following, 'old man.' Say, any idea where I could get feathers?"

"How many?"

"A bucket or so."

Jack grinned, catching on. "Oh, I think we can work something out . . ."

........

"Please?"

"No."

"Oh, come on . . . They were practically asking for it!"

"They just got here. Besides, I am not going to allow you to blast two fellow Autobots for a simple prank."

"You're no fun."

"Like it or not, I'm being reasonable. And while I know you would not kill them or fatally wound them, I do not think Ratchet would appreciate having to repair them immediately upon arrival because _you_ injured them."

"No, he'd rather do it himself."

"Ironhide, my answer is final. I am not going to allow you to shoot Sideswipe and Sunstreaker as soon as you see them. _Or_," he continued before his subordinate and older friend could speak, "at any time whatsoever."

"Can I bash them over the head?"

"No. We'll set them to work in construction in the base to make up for the foam. You can give them makeovers while they're in recharge. _But_, you may not injure them in any way. Do I make myself clear?"

"To quote the pirate in that human movie, 'inescapably.'"

"Good. Are you ready to move out now?"

"Yes, sir."

Optimus rolled forward, sighing. A moment later, Ironhide spoke again.

"_Please?_"

"NO!"

* * *

**Edited 4-21-10**


	9. Chapter 9: An Autobot's Ego

Thank you very much for your reviews, **Rob Lockster**, **AutobotGirl6**, **Yuro-Faita911**, **autobotgirl12328**, **Autobot traitor**, **Trickster91**, **ArmoredSoul**,**Mackinator**, **whitedino**, **Meirelle**, **shimmershadow30**, **Player3**, **Eerie Iri**, **X-RayDog**, **Yami-Yugi3**, **HorrorFan13**, **Frog1**, and **kimmay94**! That's 18 for this chapter alone! XD

I am so very sorry for taking nearly a year to update this. Rest assured, I fully intend to complete this story. And now, after a brainstorm one day – in the shower, no less – I have direction and more plot! I already knew some of what I was going to do, but now I have something more concrete about where I'm going. Still not sure what the ending is going to be, but I'll figure it out! Well, now I've rambled, and it's on to the chapter-ly answers to your comments and questions.

**Rob Lockster**-- Yes, but I think Aniruddha, "unobstructed" or "ungovernable," would be more of a fit for him. Seeing as he's such an avid prankster. XD And Devdan, "gift of the gods" . . . That's a good fit for Sunstreaker. :-P

**Yuro-Faita911**-- Mostly it's just a name I picked at random that I thought sounded good for Sunstreaker. I didn't want something playful like Max seems, and I wanted it to begin with the same letter. From there, I remembered Micah, and settled on that. :-P

**Autobot traitor**-- We shall see. XD And that's not to say they will. :-P

**Trickster91**-- Something close to that, actually. I drew a little comic about it, and I hope I can make it work in word form! As for Prowl, yes, he will be making an appearance. I just have to figure out how to work him in! By the way, any suggestions for his police cruiser form? Not a Saleen Mustang! I want something more common, and not something that's confused with Barricade. I was going to, but then I decided, nah! It's overused, and I don't even know for certain if they actually use those for police cars. Doesn't really make sense. It's such a nice car! I sure wouldn't want to risk such an expensive model of car getting bullet holes and the like.

**Mackinator**-- I hope you didn't hurt yourself when you saw the notice this time!

**X-RayDog**-- I'm glad to hear that my OC is a strong character! I'm doing my best to make sure she's not a Mary-Sue, but we'll see how she turns out. :-P And no, she doesn't meet them in this chapter, but we do!

**Yami-Yugi3**-- Sometime, here! Read my response to Trickster91. I would appreciate suggestions!

**Frog1**-- Well, we have many chapters to go. I'm quite certain we will see a temper tantrum from good ol' Hatchet, yet. XD *cackle of malicious glee*

**To All Readers**-- I had lots of fun writing this chapter. Yes, I could have made it longer, but I settled for finishing it and getting it to you patient people, who have had to wait for too long for this update. Enjoy! Oh, and please read my response to **Trickster91**. Help would be much appreciated!

Oh, and I've just recently watched the first two episodes of Transformers G1. I cracked up, seeing Ironhide's form!

* * *

_**Chapter Nine – An Autobot's Ego**_

"That has to be the biggest television I've ever seen outside of a theater."

"And you haven't seen the amazing picture it has, or heard the surround sound system." Jack grinned down at her, a gesture she returned. "Though it's hardly necessary, you've been missing out."

"You know what would be awesome? Three-dimensional movies, where they happen around you." Kate moved to the DVD player to examine it, half her mind still on talking. "Or maybe that would just be better for games like Halo or something of the sort, like virtual reality. That would be so cool . . . and yet freaky at the same time."

"Freaky, eh? Yeah, I can see how that would be. Got friends in the army, an' accordin' to them, goin' soft on language, war is a nightmare."

At the mention of the word, Kate shivered. Jack noticed, and frowned. "Didn't sleep as well as you said?" he guessed.

"Not really. Uncle Hyde knows a bit about it 'cause he picked me up from my room, but no one else." Kate shrugged, stepping back from the DVD player and looking rather distant. "Apparently I'm making myself forget things, like nightmares. It was probably something to do with my captivity, but . . . I don't really want to know."

"That's okay, kiddo," her friend assured her. "No one's forcing you to."

"Vor says I have to remember soon. If I don't willingly, I might not recover."

She heard him sigh, and looked up at Jack to see him staring at the ceiling, a contemplative look on his face. When he caught her looking, he gave her a small smile. "Sorry, Katie-girl. I can't help you with this. It's something you're going to have to work through on your own. But . . . if you ever need an ear, well, you can come to me anytime."

She smiled back, feeling a sense of peace for the first time in a long time. "Thanks, Jack," she whispered, but ruined the moment by yawning.

Jack chuckled. "Come on, this was the last place. I'll take you back to your room so you can take a nap."

"Thank you," the girl answered, following the black man. "I'm still tired. Must be because I woke up in the middle of the night and it took me a bit to go back to sleep."

"As good a theory as any, I say." A couple minutes later, Jack stopped at her door and ruffled her hair slightly. "I'll be back in thirty minutes, at . . ." He checked the time. "Eleven-hundred hours. There anything you need?"

"Make it an hour at eleven-thirty. I feel exhausted . . ." She grinned at him as she smoothed her brown ponytail, not all that annoyed at his playful action. "Thanks for the tour, Jack."

His smile turned soft and caring. "Least I could do, Kate. See you in an hour or so."

She nodded in return, hiding her confusion about the look in his eyes. Once inside her room, she lay down and stared at the ceiling, letting her mind wander back to that expression. However, before she could think about it anymore . . .

She fell asleep.

........

Jazz heaved a sigh as he entered Wheeljack's lab – not without a little trepidation – and wondered what in space he was supposed to do next. He would have to tell Kate their secret soon – his guilty conscience wouldn't let him do otherwise – but when, and how? The longer he put it off, he knew, the worse things might be when he told her. How mad would she be when she found out that he had been hiding this from her? Her life was messed up enough; she didn't need this, too.

Wheeljack looked up from his work, eyeing the saboteur carefully. "You shouldn't beat yourself up about this, Jazz."

Jazz blinked, caught off guard. "How'd you know?" he grumped. Wheeljack's human holoform put down his tools, smiling slightly.

"Your body language is rather easy to read, even in that form. An expulsion of air to that degree is a good indicator that your mind is on something else, and the tenseness you carry yourself with betrays your self-guilt."

Jazz had to shake his head at that. "When'd you become a psychiatrist, 'Jack?"

"It's a temporary gig. Don't tell Ratchet."

"To Pit with Ratchet. Let's not tell _Prime_. He'd have you psych evaluating the mechs after every battle."

Wheeljack shuddered, making a face at that. "Primus, I hope not."

Jazz released a chuckle, then turned to the shard Wheeljack was tinkering with. "Easier to work on it at this size, huh?"

Wheeljack nodded, frowning. "There's not much to work with. Whatever it did when it shocked Kate, it used up the rest of its energy to do so."

"And the bigger shard?"

"The one this broke off of, and the one that was used to revive you? Drained. Somehow, all the energy left after you were brought back must have transferred to this splinter."

"So basically . . . the All Spark's gone."

Wheeljack nodded grimly. "I'm not sure whether to be optimistic or pessimistic about this fact. But I still don't know what it did to Kate."

"You tell Prime yet?"

"I'll wait until he returns with my guinea pigs. Can't risk the Decepticons picking up on this yet."

Jazz let his lips twitch into an amused smile. "Hatchet will go insane with the three of you around again. With your explosions and the twin's pranking, he could probably use your psychiatric help."

Wheeljack smirked. "Why do you think I don't want you to tell Ratchet? And hey, tell him it could be worse."

"Yeah, how so?"

The smirk turned to a positively evil grin. "Bluestreak could have come with them."

Picturing that, without any more level-headed Bots around to balance out the insanity, Jazz shuddered.

"You, my friend, have a point."

........

"Aw, fraggit, I can't find _anything_!"

"What about that Mustang that passed ten minutes ago?"

"No."

"Why not? Come on, we're meeting Prime and Ironhide in an hour. We can't just stay as _this_! I feel . . . _naked_!" The mech speaking – for he was a mech – gestured to his silver protoform body. Without scanning an altmode, and having just landed half an hour ago, he felt akin to what he supposed would be a human caught in just their underwear.

"As do I," his twin brother answered, growling, "but that Mustang was clearly inferior. Besides, its left door was dented."

Sideswipe paused, considering that. "You're right," he admitted finally, clearly not happy with the idea of a dented door on his altmode. Although, he wasn't sure if it would be there on himself when the car was scanned.

"Of course I'm right," Sunstreaker griped. Suddenly, he perked up, focusing on something just over the ridge. As the vehicle on the road drew closer, he grew visibly more excited, his frame quivering slightly before he suppressed the action. Sideswipe looked, and let out an appreciative whistle. "Now that's what I'm talking about."

The Lamborghini Reventón shot on past, its driver clearly enjoying the straight, flat road stretching as far as the eye could see. Sides and Sunny scanned it as it passed, each making a certain alteration to the sleek beauty they had chosen.

Moments later, two cars, bright red and golden yellow shiny new Lamborghinis respectively, pulled onto the highway.

........

"Where are those two cretins? They should have been here by now."

Optimus shook his head, a placating hand on Ironhide's shoulder. "Give them time. They may not be so fortunate to locate an altmode as quickly as we were."

"Especially with Sunstreaker's narcissism. That mech is so stuck up, he- Holy Primus."

As Ironhide's words degenerated into an awed silence, Optimus turned his gaze to take in the sight of the two Lamborghini Reventóns pulling up. Although as vain as these two could be, especially Sunstreaker, he had to hand it to them . . . They sure knew how to pick a good one.

The red and yellow luxury sports cars unfolded into two mechs of the same color, smug grins on each of their faceplates. "Like it?" Sideswipe asked, still giddy from finding such an awesome form. "We were lucky it was passing by at that moment."

Ironhide was still staring. "What color was that car?"

"Silver."

"And yet, how did you . . .?"

Sunstreaker snorted. "It's simple, 'Uncle Hyde.' We just scanned it and altered the paint scheme before applying it to ourselves."

At Ironhide's horrified look upon hearing the nickname, the twins burst out laughing. "Jazz-man told us," Sideswipe snickered. "An' don't worry, on our drive over here, we figured out our holograms' forms."

"Good work." Optimus stepped forward, giving them long, considering looks. After a moment, he nodded to himself. "You two will have to hide your true bodies from our guest until we tell her who we are. Having such a rare vehicle as your altmode will attract attention, and may make her suspicious."

Sideswipe bounced from one foot to the other in his excitement. "Ooh! Do we we get to meet her?"

"Yes, but remain cautious. You must not reveal that you are an Autobot, or anything along those lines. It is for Jazz to tell her."

Sunstreaker nodded, acknowledging the command. "Yes, sir. Shall we go?"

Sideswipe blinked. "Why so eager?"

"I want to get some space between us and 'Uncle Hyde.' Plus, I want Jazz to be in range of his rage."

The red mech took one look at the trembling black bot, then nodded sharply. "Permission to move out, Boss-man?"

Optimus chuckled. "Permission granted. Autobots, roll out."

"Great. Get your gears in line, Sunny! Race ya there!"

As rubber squealed on pavement, carrying the two hot rods away, Ironhide's rage broke free, and he let out a bellow. "SIDESWIPE, SUNSTREAKER, JAZZ!!! I AM GOING TO _KILL YOU_!"

The only answer was rapidly disappearing taillights.

........

Back at the base, Jazz winced to hear Ironhide's angry broadcast. He wasn't sure he was looking forward to seeing the older mech's expression when he returned, since Sideswipe had no doubt revealed that he had been the one to tell the twins that nickname.

Yes, perhaps it would be best to steer clear of Ironhide. Just for a little while.

_I wonder if Optimus will let me take a vacation for a couple months . . .

* * *

_

**Edited 4-21-10**


	10. Chapter 10: Welcome to Nevada

Thank you for the reviews, **Senri Shiki Fan**, **whitedino**, **Rai180**, **autobotgirl12328**, **ArmoredSoul**, **Yuro-Faita911**,** Trickster91**, and**FoghornLeghorn83**! It's nice to see some old faces, as it were. :-P

**EVERYONE**-- IF YOU WANT ME TO BRING IN AN AUTOBOT, SUCH AS **Bluestreak**, **Cliffjumper**, **Hound**, OR **Mirage**, YOU WILL HAVE TO TELL ME WHAT THEIR PERSONALITY IS LIKE, WHO THEY'RE FRIENDS WITH, WHO THEY'RE NOT FRIENDS WITH, HOW OLD THEY WOULD BE IF HUMAN, ANY SPECIAL FEATURES FOR THEIR ROBOT MODE, COLOR SCHEME, HOW BIG THEY ARE, AND WHAT THE PREFFERED MODEL OF CAR WOULD BE. FOR THE LAST, IF IT IS AN OLD MODEL OF CAR, I WILL ATTEMPT TO FIND SOMETHING CLOSE TO IT IN TODAY'S CARS. Thank you! (And I already have said stats for Cliffjumper and Mirage, except or the age thing, provided by Trickster91. Could someone give me the stats on Hound and Bluestreak? Thanks!) REMEMBER, THOUGH. THERE IS NO GUARANTEE THAT I WILL INCLUDE THEM!

**Yuro-Faita911--** Alive and well. XD

**Trickster91--** (small snippet from review reply, so others can see) Black and white, door wings. Got it. XD And I have since decided that he's going to be a Chevy Impala, since that seems like a common police car. Thank you!

Once again, I had a lot of fun writing this chapter, especially the twins' conversation on football. XD

* * *

_**Chapter Ten – Welcome to Nevada**_

Kate awoke with that after-nap buzz in her head, feeling a little groggy, yet wide awake. _I hate it when this happens,_ she grumbled to herself, and to Vor. The voice chuckled at her, amused. _Rather disconcerting, is it not, dearie?_

_I told you to stop calling me that!_

_But you are my dearie! My dear Katherine. Now, where is that Jack fellow?_

_He'll be along in a few minutes. I told him eleven-thirty, and it's eleven-twenty now. I guess I should stay put until he gets here, so . . . Ah! My iPod!_

_Heaven forbid that you be separated from your music, _came the reply, and soon _American Child_ was playing, Kate singing along.

"I was ten, I was thin, I was playing first base," she sang, blocking out the rather drab walls of her room and entering her own little sanctuary. Linkin Park's_What I've Done_ ended just in time for her to hear the knock on the door, and she opened it to find Jack. "Hey, there," she greeted him, stowing away her iPod and earbuds. "They here yet?"

Jack grinned at her. "No, but they're on their way. Want to go play _Call of Duty 4 _on the X-Box 360?"

She gave him an evil smirk. "Sure. May the best gamer win. Say, I was wondering, why are the ceilings so high in the hallways? And the elevators."

The man shrugged as he led her back to the rec room, casting his own gaze around. "Well, this was one of the original storage levels of the warehouse. I figure they had lots of big stuff to store, and they had to have room for big vehicles. You're in one of the old worker bunk rooms, so that's why your doors are an average size, as are the doors to the kitchen and bathrooms. That's also why we're able to fit that TV in there – the big room thing, I mean. That used to be a storage room, which we turned into our rec room. Ben's getting a couple more couches for us in there, so we'll have more seating for when our current whole gang is here."

"How many of you were there?"

"Well, we were quite the neighborhood. Two, three dozen maybe. At the least. We even had a cop among us. Michael Edwards, my best friend. Real serious, logical fella, hardly ever cracks a smile, but man did we try."

Kate smiled sadly. "Is he dead?"

"Huh? Oh, no. Least, I don't think so. Haven't heard from him since the evac. We've got the word out, though, so hopefully he'll find us. And when he does, he'll be giving the twins big cleanup jobs, you can bet on that."

The girl laughed at that, able to picture it in her mind. "Kept your neighborhood in order, eh?"

"Much as he could. He lived there, and he patrolled there. He was helping families evacuate, and I was elsewhere, doing the same thing, and we lost contact. Haven't had any word, yet, on what's happened to him."

She watched Jack carefully, eyeing his slightly slumped shoulders and the barest melancholy expression he bore. "You miss him."

Jack smiled. "Well, yeah, he's my best friend. At least ten years my senior, but the closest thing to a brother I've ever had. I hope you get to meet him someday."

"I look forward to it," Kate answered. "Now, last one to the rec room is a rotten egg!"

As she bolted forward, Jack let out a yelp. "No fair!"

........

Kate: 4. Jack: 3.

That was where the score stood more than an hour later, as they were fully absorbed in the Shipment level of multiplayer. Kate was having the time of her life with one hundred rounds in her weapon as Survivalist, and Jack had settled on Grenadier. It hadn't taken the girl long to get in the swing of things, and she was currently ahead by ten kills. With ten minute rounds and no score limit, Kate had upwards of three hundred points. Half of her deaths came from not being able to get out of the way of Jack's dropped grenades in time, and the other half was split up into kills from behind and kills from the side or front.

She turned, and there he was, ready to fire. Jack let out a disappointed cry as she gunned him down, and a yelp as he was shot immediately upon respawn. "How do you _do _that?!" he moaned, and their audience laughed. From where he sat on the other couch, Ray gave Jack an amused smirk. "She just happened to see you. Face it, Jack Turner. You're being _owned_."

Kate grinned. "Hearing those names together sounds totally ironic. You know, _Pirates of the Caribbean_."

Jack only smiled, then turned a glare on Ray as the round ended. "Pick up a controller," he ordered.

The doctor grinned. "Sorry, Jack. I've got things I need to do."

"Dude, you just got _owned_ again!"

The glare redirected its aim to Jackson, who was doubled over in laughter in the doorway. The scientist was barely able to stay on his feet as he vented his amusement at his friend's expense.

Jack scowled. "Gee, thanks for bruising my already bruised manly pride."

"Jack, you have no pride, manly or otherwise."

Kate laughed as Ray was forced to vacate the couch in the face of Jack's outrage, shown in the form of a flying pillow. "That was so uncalled for!" the black man pouted, making the girl and Jackson both crack up even harder.

Ray grinned. "The look on your face isn't helping your 'manly pride' any, you know. Come on, Jackson. Let's leave him to his fate."

"Yeah, thanks for the support!"

Kate managed to tamp her laughter down to snickers, and passed Jack's dropped controller back to him. "Another round?"

He considered that, then nodded, grinning in good humor. His ire, it was clear, had only been for show and laughs. "Why not? I'm a glutton for punishment. Not Shipment, though. Let's do that warehouse training grounds map."

"Sounds good to me. Pick your poison."

"Hmm." Jack glanced at the open door, which both doctor and scientist had just left by, then adopted a considering look. "I think I'll try what's been working for you."

"Survivalist? Just to warn you, it doesn't work for everyone."

"Yeah, I know. But hey, if the aim carefully method doesn't work, might as well try the spray everything in sight way."

"Actually, you do need to aim, regardless of how it may look. But hey, I'm a computer diva and video gamer, so I'm not really surprised I'm beating you. I've played a lot of X-Box in the past few years."

Jack raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "Computer diva? How so?"

Kate smiled. "Nuh-uh, that's my little secret. Let's just say that I can work them real well."

Mr. Eyebrow went higher. "If you say so. Mac or PC?"

"Mac. My brother gave me the one I have, which I managed to rescue from my kidnappers when I escaped. I find them much easier to use, though PCs do have their perks. You can play games on them, for instance."

Jack grinned. "Is that it?"

With a shrug, Kate turned back to the game. "I'm sure there's more, but that's enough. Say, you going to move, or do you want me to snipe you?"

"Huh? _Wagh!_" Jack's soldier sprinted towards the cover of the building, but it was too late. Next he knew, he had respawned on the other side of the map.

Kate burst out laughing again. "Nice reaction."

"Yeah, he's got quite the startled yelp, doesn't he?"

She froze at the unfamiliar voice, then turned to find a redhead grinning charmingly at her from where he leant against the back of the couch. His hair was a cute sort of messy, and his eyes were the same unearthly blue as Jack's and the others', although they all had varying shades. His were a little paler, edging toward ice blue. His red button up collared shirt seemed to compliment him quite well, and a black tie hung loosely about his neck. A white and blue sports jersey sort of jacket went over the shirt, giving him a sort of patriotic look. Red shirt, white jacket, blue sleeves. Blue jeans and brown sneakers completed the look, and overall he was quite good looking, and seemed to be a very exuberant sort of guy. In contrast, the man standing just behind him, a little to the side, didn't look like he really wanted to be there. His hair was blonde, the same length as that of who was obviously his brother, but styled neatly. His eyes were the exact same shade as his twin's, and he wore the same style jeans and shoes. His shirt, however, was a dark yellow, and his tie, also black, was correct and orderly. A black leather jacket completed the ensemble, not all that unlike Jack's own jacket. He had the "touch me, you're dead," sort of vibe, but at the same time, he looked relieved to see the black guy on the couch, as if he hadn't fully believed in his safety before then.

Jack grinned upon seeing the two, his own eyes sparkling with happiness. "Max! Micah! Safe trip?

If Max's grin got any brighter, there'd be a supernova, Kate was sure of it. "As much as it could be. Ran into trouble in L.A., but we taught those punks a lesson. Now, Jack, dude, you gonna introduce us? Or are we gonna have t' guess?"

Jack blinked, then nodded in understanding. "Guys, this is Kate. Kate, this Max and Micah Creigo. Don't mind Micah, he's always like that."

Micah snorted. "You'd be, too, if you had this for a twin."

"Hey! I resent that!"

"Good!"

Kate had to grin. "It's nice to meet you. Jack's told me a lot about your guys' pranks."

"Has he?" Max vaulted over the back of the couch and landed with a plop between the two. "What ones?"

"Well, mostly about the ones he participated in. Something about pink trucks."

"Yes, and he has yet to be paid back for that." Kate rotated her head again to look at the door, past Micah to where Hyde stood, scowling. She heard and saw the others do the same, and Micah cracked his first grin since they came in. "Hey, Uncle Hyde."

Hyde targeted him with a glare. "Jack, you had to tell them, didn't you?"

"Well, yeah, how else would I torment you right now?"

Max shared a grin with his twin, then turned to the older man in the doorway. "Uncle, uncle, uncle," he began to chant. It didn't take long for Hyde to step forward, pinning the redhead with a poisonous look.

"Call me that again," he snarled, "and you'll have good reason to say uncle."

Kate clapped a hand over her mouth to hold back her laughter as Max clammed up fast. "Does that mean I can't?" she asked as soon as she felt it was safe. Hyde looked at her in surprise, then shook his head. "You are free to call me that. They are not. If they even _think_ of calling me it again, their most prized possessions, namely _their _cars, will receive a makeover of epic proportions. As for Jack, he has yet to pay for telling these two about it."

Jumping up, Kate ran around the couch to the old war veteren, then stood on her toes to whisper in his ear. After telling him of her plans for the twins, Hyde adopted a smirk that threatened to turn into a full-on grin. He nodded once, turned, and left the room.

When Kate turned back to the others, they were giving her looks that were equally wary and amused. Jack was smiling knowingly, however, and she walked back to sit next to him and reclaim her controller. "You two want to play?" she asked, looking expectantly from one twin to the other.

One glance at each other later, and Micah had joined them on the couch, seating himself on the other side of Max, who had scooted over to let Kate sit between him and Jack. Max had grabbed the other two controllers, and now they logged in as Kate ended the game.

Kate blinked as she saw the usernames they chose. "'Ninja' and 'The Idiot's Brother'?"

Jack laughed. "Not so sure about the ninja one, but the other is pretty accurate."

"Hey!"

"Oh, chill, Max, you know it's true." Micah shoved lightly at his brother, which in turn sandwiched Kate between Max and Jack. She yelped, and Jack helped her out by reaching around and pushing Max back the other way. He steadied himself before crashing into his brother, which prevented Micah from retaliating.

"Easy, guys," Jack admonished. "You can't horse around here unless you go sit on the other couch."

The twins had the grace to look sheepish. "Sorry, Kate," Max said, scratching the back of his head. He elbowed Micah in the gut, earning a mumbled apology from the blonde.

Kate smiled forgivingly back at them. "It's okay. I used to play with my brother before he died. Soccer with his friends could get a little rough. So, what map would you two like?"

She saw Micah grin maliciously at Max, who returned the look in kind. "Shipment," they said unanimously.

Jack groaned. "Oh, no!"

........

Five hours passed before Kate finally got around to acting on her plan. Jack supplied the feathers, from a couple feather pillows that were in storage. She had no idea where Hyde got his hands on that much honey, but she wasn't complaining. After some helpful tips on how to set something like this up, she had a trap standing by, all ready to be triggered the moment the twins walked through the door.

Ray, Jackson, and Peter were warned away from the rec room, and last she saw of the former two, they were making popcorn in the kitchen. She had no idea where Peter was.

She ended up borrowing a camera from Jackson. It wasn't video, but Jack said the security cameras would capture whatever video they needed. Still shots would be just fine for her purposes, even though a video camera would be easier to use in her need to snap and run. Then again, the camera had a video option. Still, photographs would be just fine.

At last, it was time.

Jack and Hyde were camped out in the security office when she left them, having been tracking the twins on the monitors for that level. All the other screens were black, because, Jack told her, the cameras on the lower levels that were being remodeled weren't active yet.

Camera in hand, Kate moved quickly toward the rec room. Max and Micah had proved to be excellent rivals in _Call of Duty 4_, but Micah was a little grumpy about the fact that he still hadn't been able to beat her. And so, it seemed, the twins were heading back to the X-Box to practice for the next big match.

They were deeply embroiled in an argument over who they thought should be in the upcoming Superbowl that winter as they approached their doom. "The Patriots are looking to have a perfect season this year," Micah pointed out. "I think they'll go all the way, and win the Superbowl."

"What one is this, Forty-Two? Don't forget your towels, people! So long, and thanks for all the fish, say the dolphins."

"Why did I ever let you convince me to watch _Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy_?" the blonde groaned.

"Dunno. But I read the books, too. Seven-part trilogy!"

"But that makes no sense!"

"Not supposed to, brother-mine. Anyway, I think the Buckeyes should go to the Superbowl."

"The Buckeyes are a college team, you idiot. Ohio State University."

"Oops! Hmm, okay, then. Packers, 'cause of Brett Favre."

"Isn't he thinking of retiring?"

"Where'd you hear that? Betcha he don't stay retired!"

"You mean you think he'll be one of those indecisive types?"

"Not exactly. I just think he loves the game too much to stay away. Hey, we should play _Madden_!"

"No. _Call of Duty 4_. I want to be able to beat the kid next time."

"Aw, give her a break. Let her be good at something! You know martial arts, after all. Hey, _Mortal Kombat_!"

"Heck, no!"

"Aww!"

Kate was glad Jack was recording this. The conversation was priceless! Oh, they were almost there . . .

Max was back on the football tangent by now. "If the Patriots do get to the Superbowl, I hope an underdog team beats them."

"You don't want them to have a perfect seventeen-and-oh season?"

"Nah. Let the Packers, Colts, or Giants, or someone beat them. Crush their aspirations!"

"This is because of that checkers game at lunch, isn't it?"

"Not at all."

"Sure it is! You just don't want me to be right because I beat you at a game involving a checkered board and little disks!"

"La-la-la-la! I can't hear you! La-la-la-la_Wagh_!"

Kate jumped up at the startled cry. Obviously, the twins had triggered the trap.

She barely held in her laughter as she stood in the doorway, staring. Max and Micah were both covered in honey, just as planned, and their expressions of shock were priceless.

The second trap was sprung an instant later. Thousands of tiny feathers rained down upon the twins as they stood stock still, too surprised to do much of anything except stare at each other.

She had to do it now. Raising the camera, Kate snapped off the picture, startling the two victims with the clicking noise. As one, their heads whipped around to face her, and she couldn't resist taking another photo, and another as Micah's expression turned furious, and Max looked even more shocked.

She lowered the camera and beamed at them. "Welcome to Nevada!" she called, then turned and took off down the hall.

She heard Micah's cry of outrage and Max's yelp of realization right before answering footsteps came after her. She laughed as she ran, feet pounding on the concrete.

"Give me that camera!" Micah shouted at her. In reply, she executed a sharp turn and took off down an adjacent hallway.

She slipped inside Jackson's lab as soon as she got to it, closing and locking the door to prevent the twins from following. The scientist was standing by to help her, and soon had the pictures uploaded from the digital camera.

Pounding at the door drew their attention to it just as Jackson finished. He called up the feed from the hall camera, and they watched as Micah drummed his fists against the heavy metal door. "Open up!" he cried. Max did nothing to help his brother, and had instead collapsed against the wall in laughter. "Well done, Kate!" he called. "Well done!"

Jackson turned to her, bemused. "You do know Micah's going to hate you now, right?"

Kate grinned. "Maybe. Maybe not."

"And you do know that you'll have to clean that up, _right_?"

"Actually, Jack volunteered to help me clean up the honey after this, so yeah, I know."

"And you _do_ know that you have presented an invitation to the twins to prank you to no end, correct?"

"Yup. Vor says I must have a death wish."

"Well, then." Jackson grinned. "As long as we're clear on that."

A snort alerted Kate to Ray's presence in the room, and she turned to see him approaching from another monitor on the opposite side of the room, a bowl of popcorn in hand. "I'll wring Micah's neck if he ever tries to hurt you for this."

Kate grinned at the doctor, then pointed to the monitor. "He won't. Look, he's calming down, now."

Jackson put his hands on his hips. "Is that . . . resignation and respect I see?"

Kate took a handful of popcorn as she was offered it. "He's found a rival, in both video games and pranks. He'll be competitive, as will Max, but he knows when he's beat for the moment. He knows he's lost this round."

The scientist ruffled her hair, prompting a hurried attempt to fix her ponytail with one hand. "And Jack said I was being the psychiatrist."

"Actually, in this case, it would be psychologist. And I've kinda had to learn to read people. It's part of what's kept me alive."

Kate knew they were worried about her by the look the two shared. "I'm fine," she assured them. "Half insane, but alive and well otherwise."

She didn't know whether to frown or smile at her next thought, and the expression came out kind of twisted. "Somehow, I get the feeling tomorrow will be an interesting day . . ."

* * *

**Edited 4-21-10**


	11. Chapter 11: A Piece of Her Puzzle

Thanks for reviewing, **Trickster91**, **Senri Shiki Fan**, **Rob Lockster**, **Yuro-Faita911**, and **autobotgirl12328**!

**EVERYONE--** HELP, PLEASE! I NEED THE STATS REQUESTED IN THE PREVIOUS CHAPTER'S A/N FOR **HOUND**, **BLUESTREAK**, **ELITA 1**, AND **CHROMIA**! AND IF YOU'D LIKE TO REQUEST SOMEONE ELSE, TOO, GO RIGHT AHEAD! THERE IS THE POSSIBILITY OF A SEQUEL AFTER THIS ONE, WHAT WITH I'M PLANNING FOR KATE. THANK YOU!

**Trickster91**-- Thank you! That's really helpful. ^_^

**Yuro-Faita911**-- If you're thinking Decepticons, no. :-P They know nothing about her. If you're thinking Sector Seven, again no. They don't know about her, either. XD

You know, when I started this story, I didn't have much direction. I had a few ideas for conversations, but the farthest I knew was about Jazz revealing himself and the Autobots to Kate, as well as when Kate meets the whole gang. Now I have the whole plot pretty much mapped out, a new level of intrigue, and a_reason_ for Kate being kidnapped. Not to mention an idea for a short sequel. XD Yay for brainstorms!

If anyone would like to write a story or draw a picture based on Wheeljack's dream, let me know! The participants of the dream are all in robot mode, though maybe Bumblebee would be in car form. Not sure who the munchkins would be, but the flying monkeys would have to be Decepticons! XD Starscream as a flying monkey . . . Huh. :-P

* * *

_**Chapter Eleven – A Piece of Her Puzzle**_

In the end, Kate and Jack weren't the only ones cleaning up the mess from the prank. Jackson pitched in with some super-powerful cleaner that helped immensely, and even Peter and Hyde were found to be scrubbing at the floor in the rec room. As for Max and Micah, they spent forever in the showers, scrubbing away at the honey in their hair. Their clothes weren't ruined, thankfully, but Ray spent a while at those, making sure they were clean, before joining everyone in cleaning the halls.

Kate was fully exhausted that night, and slept well. It was late in the morning when she woke up, and by then, all the guys were up and at 'em.

The kitchen was where she went first. She hadn't had much to eat the night before because of the cleaning job, so her stomach was making angry noises at her. The baked oatmeal from the morning before hadn't lasted long with five grown men, so Kate was forced to check for cereal in the deserted kitchen. There were all sorts of things in the cabinets: chips, oats, tea, coffee, sugar, and various other sundries.

There was, however, no cereal.

She sighed, placing her hands on her hips. Didn't these guys know they had to restock _before_ they ran out?

The sound of something in the hall drew her attention to the door. As it neared, she detected the distinct sound of an engine. Her frustration averted, she turned her mind to this new curiosity.

_Who in the world is driving a car in these halls? Though, I can see why they would, with the wide corridors and tall ceilings. And it would get you somewhere quicker than walking in here. But what . . .?_

The vehicle came to a stop outside the kitchen, and next she knew, two doors slammed in quick succession, and the rustling of bags greeted her ears before the door to the kitchen came open. As she watched, Jackson stepped inside. "Hey, Kate!" he greeted cheerily. "Wanna help me unload the truck?"

Kate directed her gaze to the objects in Jackson's hands, still slightly out of it from just waking up. "You went shopping?"

"Yep! Me an' Ray, since Jack pointed out that our food supplies were seriously lacking."

The girl nodded blankly before following Jackson back out into the hall. There, she let herself examine the truck resting there, and its owner. When she first met him, Jackson had sported bluejeans and a green polo shirt. Now, he was dressed more stylishly, with a white dress shirt and black slacks, accompanied by black dress shoes. His short black hair was combed neatly, and overall he looked rather out of place next to the white Chevy Silverado in the corridor. As she looked again, she noticed the blockish red and green detailing on the hood and doors, trailing back along the frame toward the rear. A long white coat pillowed in the passenger seat, and she guessed that was her scientist friend's.

The sound of bags being picked up drew her mind back to her task. Moving forward, she smiled her greetings at Ray, who had stepped around the truck to help. "Good morning," he told her amiably. "Twins been behaving?"

Kate shrugged. "I wouldn't know. You're the first two I've seen since I got up, which was, like, fifteen minutes ago. It takes forever to walk through these halls. It took me five minutes just to get here."

Jackson grinned as he came back to join them. "Well, after you eat, I'd be happy to give you a lift to the rec room, where I'm sure they'll be. Hmm, we should get a golf cart or two for in here . . ."

Kate stopped his speculation with a smile. "Thank you, Jackson. I'd really appreciate that."

He blinked. "Jackson?"

Smiling sheepishly, Kate scratched the back of her head for a second. "Sorry, it's just how I've been referring to you in my mind when not thinking of you as Wheeljack. You just don't seem like a 'Will.'"

The scientist beamed at her. "I know! Go on right ahead, Kit."

It was her turn to be confused. "'Kit'?"

"Er, sorry. I tend to make up nicknames for people on occasion. Kit sounds kinda like Kate in a twisted sort of way, and, well, yeah . . ." Embarrassed, Jackson turned a little pink. "It just kinda came out."

Kate laughed. "Hey, it's all good. Kit. I like it."

Ray snorted as he picked up a bag. "Name's short enough, why do you need to make it shorter? Myself, I'm itching to call you something longer, as if Kate's short for something. You wouldn't happen to be a Kaitlin, would you?"

"Heck, no! Nah, I'm a Katherine. I didn't tell you before?"

"No."

"Huh. Oh, well. Food time!"

Jackson let out a whoop. "Booyah!"

Ray rolled his eyes and trailed after them, carrying the last of the bags. "But how do you get Kate from Katherine? Wouldn't you be 'Kath,' then?"

Kate grinned. "Not necessarily. Haven't you ever had a nickname?"

He scowled. "Yes. That is a secret, however."

Jackson laughed. "How does 'Unholy Terror of the Seven Clinics' sound?"

"Hey, my bedside manner isn't that bad."

"Not all the time, no. But when you're mad at how stupid the injured person was, then you can be a terror."

"The twins deserve a dressing down after all the pranks they've done. I'm not going to be polite to them when they've injured themselves because of a prank."

"Hey, doc, it's not just them. I've had to suffer your rage, too, you know."

"You nearly blew yourself up, you dimwit! I keep telling you to take more safety precautions, but n~o."

"Hey, they work just fine."

"You caught yourself on fire!"

"I didn't mean to!"

"That's my _point_!"

Kate couldn't hold it in any longer. The argument came to an abrupt end as she collapsed in laughter, which soon had them chuckling as well. Ray shook his head as he began putting groceries away, the first of the trio to stop laughing. "Very well, I will agree that I can be less than pleasant when a patient has acted stupid, or isn't cooperating. Peter's even borne the brunt of my wrath at times with his stubbornness. The man takes too much responsibility onto himself, and hardly spares the time for a checkup. Jackson! Quit lollygagging and help me!"

Startled, Jackson got went into action, sliding a bowl and spoon toward Kate before digging through the bags. "Got a preferred cereal, Kit?"

"Cheerios and honey?"

Passing them to her, Jackson went back to putting groceries away. "We also have Honey Nut Cheerios."

"No thanks. It's weird, I like honey on cheerios, but I don't like the honey nut ones. Am I strange, or what?"

Jackson grinned. "Definitely strange."

Ray handed Kate the milk. "How'd you sleep?"

"Pretty well. No nightmares this time. But you know, now that I think about it, I did have a strange dream, and Vor says she doesn't really know anything about it. It was probably just my brain playing tricks on me."

"Why, what was it?" Doctor and scientist listened in interest, and she had to smile a little at their curiosity. Dreams were often fun to hear about, she knew from past experience. Especially the strange ones.

"Well, I felt like I was trapped somewhere, and it was really dark. I was calling for someone, but no one could hear me. I got the feeling I was their mother, or something like that. I kept thinking in terms of, 'my children.' There was someone nearby that I really didn't like, that I was afraid of, but I don't know why . . ."

The men didn't look like they knew what to make of this. "What happened after that?" Jackson asked, concerned.

Kate's brow furrowed. "I don't know. I can't remember if it went on past the point of realizing that last part. Oh, well."

"Hmm." Jackson broke out in another one of his cheery grins. "I dreamt I was in the Land of Oz last night."

Two dumbfounded expressions were turned on him, and he laughed. "No, seriously. One of my experiments went wrong in the dream, and I was transported to Oz. There were a bunch of little munchkins around, and I was wearing these sparkling red boots. The Good Witch of the North was Hyde, believe it or not, so that would be Good Wizard of the North. He looks really funny in a tutu, though, believe you me. He had the sparkly star wand Glinda had, too. The scarecrow looking for a brain was Max, the tin man looking for a heart was you, doc, and the cowardly lion was Micah. You three fought a lot in the dream, go figure. The dog was a mini-Ben, and the Wizard of Oz was Jack."

"Who was the Wicked Witch of the West?" Kate prompted, struggling to hold back her laughter.

"Well, you know how you told me a little about that movie of yours? The main villain, Megatron?"

"Yeah . . .?"

Jackson smirked. "Take a wild guess where I'm going with this."

Ray surprised them by doubling over in laughter first. "Megatron melting! That's priceless."

It only took a moment of picturing it for Kate to join Ray in laughing. "Oh, I really wish I could have seen that. That's hilarious!"

"Ain't it? I don't even really know what he looks like, so somehow he got pink daisies painted all o'er him. Ooh, eat up. Micah was saying something about a_Call of Duty 4_ showdown."

"_Again_?"

"Hey, you said yesterday that he'd think of you as a rival. Pete and Hyde won't let the twins prank you yet, so this is the only thing they can do."

Kate rolled her eyes as she dug her spoon into her cereal. "My brother couldn't even beat me. But who knows? Maybe Micah will break the pattern. I'm sure there are gamers out there much better than I, but as one can figure, I haven't really travelled around that much, so I haven't met them."

"Hmm. Perhaps Ben will be able to give you a run for your money when he visits."

"Sounds like a welcome prospect." Kate spent the next few minutes in silence as she ate and as Ray and Jackson finished putting things away. As soon as she was done, she put her dishes in the dishwasher and went to stand by the door. Jackson joined her a second later, glancing back at the doctor. "Give you a lift?"

"Sure. I think I'll watch this tournament Micah wants to have."

"Hey, Wheeljack, mind if I ride in the truck bed?"

"Not at all, Kit. Hop on up, and we'll get going. Toss me my coat, will you, doc? A~nd we're gone!"

After Jackson started the truck, it wasn't long before they arrived at the rec room. The scientist was right, she decided. Golf carts would help a lot, and she could even drive one legally! Just because she hadn't mentioned it to anyone didn't mean she didn't have a license.

Her smile at the thought died right after. She had forgotten; that pervert had it. Wait, no! It was in her backpack! _Ha! Take that, kidnappers!_

_Such excitement over a small piece of plastic with your picture on it. What's its significance, again?_

_Aw, c'mon, Vor, you were there when I got my license. Remember?_

_Oh, yes. I apologize, dearie. My memories are less than orderly at this point in time._

_Hang on. _Your_ memories?_

"We're here, Kit! Come on, you can talk to that voice in your head some other time."

Startled, Kate jerked her head up and around, unaware that she had been staring at her lap. "Wha-?"

Jackson laughed. "Come on," he repeated. "Jack and the twins are waiting. Ooh, Hyde's here!"

"Who'd want to miss this?" Hyde said in reply, hearing the scientist's exclamation. "Although Peter's not here yet. How'd you sleep, kid?"

Kate grinned, recovered from her surprise. Jackson was right, she could ask Vor later. "Like a baby, though I did have a weird dream. But that's nothing compared to Jackson's!"

Exuberant, Jackson explained his dream again, and who Megatron was. Even Hyde was bug-eyed at the end, though he also looked like he wanted to strangle the dreamer for the tutu and sparkly wand.

Max cracked up. "That's priceless, Jackson!"

"Hey, dimwit, you were the one with no brain. Meanwhile, he dreamt me to be some cowardly feline!"

"Aw, buck up, Micah! At least you were a lion."

"That lion cried! And he _sang_! I don't sing!"

"Yeah? I seem to remember that one time where-"

"THAT NEVER HAPPENED!!"

Jack, laughing, clapped a hand over each of their mouths and pushed them away from each other. "Easy, there. I suppose I should be glad I was just the . . . fake wizard."

Kate frowned at his momentary scowl, detecting something more behind the look. "Jack, you okay?"

His eyes cleared, and the DJ smiled. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just realized what exactly Jackson dreamed me as."

Jackson grinned. "Hey, you all, don't forget what I dreamed myself as. I was in the place of a _girl_, a high offense for a man."

Kate turned to him, dismissing Jack's behavior. If there was something more to the scowl, he obviously didn't want to talk about it right now. "And you were wearing sparkly red boots!"

"At least they weren't high-heels. But they were such a fashion atrocity!"

Micah shuddered. "It hurts my head just thinking about it. Let's talk about something else. Hey, kid, up for another round of _CoD 4_?"

"Oh, you betcha! Who all's playing?"

"Same group," Jack answered, passing her a controller as she plopped down on the couch between him and Max again. They sat in the same order as the day before, with Jack on the far right, and Micah on the far left. Their audience settled on the other couch, with even Peter coming to join them, though he hovered around the door.

_I wouldn't have figured he would come,_ she told Vor.

_Even the manager must get his relaxation and fun, Katherine. Just because he can be such a serious fellow doesn't mean he don't ever join his group for a bit of entertainment like this._

Kate nodded silently to herself as Micah set up the game. Every man for himself – and girl for herself – ten minute rounds, first to three hundred. No kill cam, no radar. Shipment.

"Not again!" Jack complained. "I fail at this map."

"Too bad," Micah told him, childishly sticking out his tongue. "Three-to-one vote, we play it. Oh, relax. We're playing them all!"

From the other couch, Jackson laughed. "Oh, this is going to be good."

........

Kate was winning again as Micah set up the fifth map. She had lost only one round, and that was because Micah avoided her and stole her kills, as well as it being a map she wasn't as good at. She had never been the best at the one with the crashed airplane for some reason.

Max put down his controller for the moment and stretched his arms above his head. "You're real good at this," he complimented, grinning at her. "Your bro teach ya?"

"Uh-huh. At first. After he died, I hung around more with other gamers in the community, as well as a computer expert down the block that my brother had me learning from. Real nice guy, one of the few after I was kidnapped, and he taught me everything I know. Although, my brother didn't know about some of those things. Probably for the best, though."

"When you say computer expert, what do you mean?"

Kate winked, deciding to let them guess for the moment. "Just that. I think it actually had something to do with my kidnapping. I can't remember, though. Blocked memories, and all."

"Huh." Max stared at the ceiling for a moment, and she guessed he was searching for another topic. When he looked at her again, she found this to be true. "Say, that . . . _Transformers_ thing . . . Whenever you talk about it, you always mention this 'Jazz' fellow. You like him or something?"

Kate laughed. "Well, yeah, though I don't really know much about him. Most of what I know is from fan fictions."

"No, I mean, do you _like _him?"

The room was quiet as everyone stared incredulously at Max. Kate gave him a disbelieving look, then shook her head. "Max, that's like asking if I'm in love with Luke Skywalker."

"Who's Luke Skywalker?"

Micah snorted, whacking his twin on the back of his head. "Star Wars, you idiot."

"Oh, yeah!"

"Fictional character, just like Jazz. Besides, I don't even _know_ much about him, as I pointed out. And a relationship is the _last _thing on my mind, what with being raped and all."

Beside her, Jack choked, and everyone stared at her in horror.

"What?" she asked, confused.

Jack looked at her with concern. "You were raped?" he asked quietly.

Kate blinked. "I said that?"

"You did," Hyde confirmed.

Kate gave a disturbed frown. She didn't remember that. It was a blank spot in her memory, just like with that nightmare. "I don't . . . I really said that?"

Jack wrapped his arms around her and drew her into a hug. She returned it, feeling a little better. "Yeah. But don't let it bug you."

She felt a hand settle on her shoulder when she was released, and looked up to see Peter standing there, a sympathetic look softening his features. "If and when you remember, we'll be here for you. Never forget that."

Although confused, Kate couldn't help but grin. "Don't worry, I don't think I'll be doing that anytime soon. Come on, everyone, lighten up. I don't remember, so there's no point in worrying about me right now. Micah, start the game. I may be some troubled teenager, half insane, but I can still whup your butt."

Finally, Jack and the others laughed. "You heard the lady. Let's get to this."

* * *

**Edited 4-27-10**


	12. Chapter 12: These Things We Must Do

Thank you for reviewing, **autobotgirl12328**, **Crystal Rosemary Witwicky**, **Trickster91**, and **Yuro-Faita911**!

**Yuro-Faita911--** If you do draw it, could you send me a link? I'd love to see it. XD And I'm sure the Autobots will very gladly aid you in kicking their afts!

When I put Jazz as the Wizard of Oz, I totally didn't have the fake wizard thing in mind. :-P Amazing how things work out just right like that!

Solid sequel idea in place! And now, the part you all have been waiting so long for. XD Poor Kate . . . I was a little teary eyed when I first read through this. :-P

* * *

_**Chapter Twelve – These Things We Must Do**_

Back in her room that evening, after dinner and at the time where she would normally go to bed, Kate decided it was time to have a talk with Vor. The voice had stayed quiet all day after Jackson interrupted her, and she had a more pressing question on her mind right now besides the one about how a voice in her head could have _memories_.

"Vor?" she whispered, staring up at the ceiling. She lay fully dressed on the bed, having chosen not to change yet into the pajamas Ray and Jackson got her that morning, along with several other changes of clothes.

There was silence for a moment, then Vor spoke. _Yes, Kate?_

Kate had to think of how exactly to pose her question. How did she want to word this? In the end, though, she asked a simple, "Was I really raped?"

She had never questioned how Vor was able to make a noise like a sigh, and she didn't question it now. It was commonplace, and she wasn't interested right now in the commonplace.

_Yes._

Just that one word was enough to take Kate's breath away. Finally, she managed, "What happened?"

_You did not want to cooperate with your kidnapper. He attempted to persuade you._

"Did I . . .?"

_If you're asking if you got pregnant from that, then no, you didn't._

_That wasn't what I was going to ask._

_Be as it may, you needed that assurance, that you did not lose a child. It is a pain you do not yet have to go through. Nor did you cooperate. Katherine, you asked me, in the same hour in which I revealed myself to you, to help you bury your memories about those days. "Help me forget," you said. I did it, thinking it would help you. For a while, it did, but now I see it's done more harm than good._

_What do you mean?_

_Maybe only a little bit at a time, but I need to do something which at first you will hate me for. Katherine, you have to remember. Only I am keeping these memories from bursting forth, and it's hurting you. These monsters are yours to tame. It will hurt at first, maybe for a long time, but I know you're strong. I know you'll get through it._

_Vor . . .?_ Kate's mental voice was shaky, and she knew if she had spoken it aloud, it would have come out as a small squeak.

Vor was obviously pained at having to do this, and her own voice shook as she spoke, much more softly than she had at first. _Face your fears, Katherine Donnelly. Only then may you overcome them._

_........._

Kate buried her face in her arms as she curled up on the couch in the rec room. She didn't know why she came here, or when she had, but she knew she felt better here than in her room. It was wide open here, and she would be able to hear anyone coming for a whole minute before they got there, just by the echo of their footsteps. The air conditioning clicked on, and she scowled as the noise made it harder to hear.

She still had ample warning, however, when Jack came in. She could tell it wasn't Hyde or Peter, because his gait was quicker, and not as heavy. She wasn't sure at first, however, because the footsteps came more slowly in the beginning. It could have been Jackson, she knew, but the dress shoes he wore had a different sound to them, as did Ray's. The twins were also out, because they were always together, and this was just one person.

The footsteps slowed to a stop somewhere to the right, and finally she raised her head. The tracks left by the tears shone in the dim light she had turned on – she hated the dark, especially at times like these – and she knew her eyes were red from crying.

Carefully, Jack sat next to her, concerned. "Kate?" he whispered.

She sniffled, swiping the back of her gloved hand across her eyes. Her throat hurt again, and she had to look away. "Vor's making me remember."

"Oh." That was all he said; all he needed to say. Actions always spoke louder than words, and she found herself wrapped in a comforting embrace again. She relaxed into it, his heartbeat shutting out her memories. Finally, though, she forced herself to pull away. If she stayed there, she might fall asleep, and she didn't want to do that yet.

"What are you doing up?" she asked.

Jack smiled gently. "I was doing something, found myself at it later than I thought. Then I saw the light on in here, and investigated. And here you were."

Nodding once, she leaned against the back of the couch, staring blankly at the black screen of the television. It definitely wasn't as big as a movie theater's, she found herself thinking, but it was definitely at least seven feet long, much larger than the average TV.

Movement from Jack turned her attention back to him. She wanted to talk about something, anything other than her memories. Her earlier silent question came back to her, and she frowned. "Earlier . . . After Jackson told everyone about his dream, you were upset by something. Why did being the Wizard of Oz bother you so much?"

He didn't answer at first. Instead, he stared at the wall above the television, where the light met shadow. Then he said, "Because the Wizard of Oz was a fake."

Her frown deepened. "But he did try to help Dorothy get back home. And the quest he sent them on did reveal to her friends their hidden intellect, heart, and courage."

He still wasn't appeased. "It's the very fact that he was a fake, pretending to be something he wasn't."

That comment was the one that clued her in to there being something more here, something else going on. Unsure, she tried to lighten the moment with humor. "You did warn me you could be a kidnapper, you know, and I did accept the risk."

"What? No!" Jack looked genuinely horrified, and she knew that she didn't have to worry about that possibility. "No, that's not- I would never-"

"Chill, Jack. I was kidding, though that is the truth. I know you aren't a bad guy. Come on, what's wrong? What's got you acting like this?"

He sighed heavily, leaning forward to rest his forearms on his knees. It was half a minute before he spoke, but when he did, his voice was quiet. "I haven't been entirely truthful with you, Kate."

"Oh, really." By now, she had already figured that out.

He shifted uncomfortably. "Truth is, we're not refugees from New Orleans. We're refugees, yes, but from somewhere else entirely, and a whole different disaster."

"Where?"

Jack opened his mouth to say something, then closed it again, a look of determination settling on his face. "Come on, I'll show you."

Kate stared at him as he got up, thrown by his abrupt change in behavior. "Huh?"

He turned a pleading gaze on her. "Please, Kate? You won't believe me unless I show you."

It took her a moment and a silent urging from Vor for her to get up to follow. When she did, she saw a look of relief cross Jack's face briefly, and then he was leading her away from the rec room. As they walked, Kate had more time to reflect on what little had been revealed. Obviously, that little bit was just that: a little bit. There was a big doozy coming up, she knew, and she felt a little hurt that she had been lied to by these people whom she had come to call friends, and had called her their friend. And, somehow, she knew that she was going to feel a lot more hurt when Jack was done telling her whatever it was he wanted – needed – to.

Jack pressed the "up" button for the elevator, causing Kate to frown again. Last she had seen, the warehouse above was empty, except for a few rusted machine parts somewhere across the vast floor. What was he doing?

It seemed Jack couldn't stand the silence after they got in the elevator and started ascending towards the surface. "Pete was letting me choose the time to tell you. We had to be sure we could trust you, and, well, after one of our conversations on the way here to Nevada, I was unsure of _how_ to tell you. I didn't want you thinking I was mocking you. Nothing like this has ever happened before."

Confused, Kate looked up at him, noting his downcast gaze and the way he seemed to hold himself with . . . shame? There was a fear there, too, she saw, barely noticeable. "Trust me? With what?"

"Well, we're kind of a big secret. A few in the government know about us, but the common citizen doesn't. Pete wanted to be sure he could trust you to keep the secret."

Kate snorted. "Who am I going to tell, whatever it is? It's not as if I have anywhere else to go."

The elevator doors opened, and Jack started walking toward the Pontiac Solstice parked nearby. Kate paused just outside the elevator, unable to help but feel a little bit afraid. "Jack?"

He stopped halfway between her and the car and turned back, close enough in the light from the elevator that she could see the expression on his face. He was just as unsure as she was, though clearly for a different reason. "Please understand, Kate, you are our friend. You're _my_ friend, the closest friend I've ever had since the twins and the one I mentioned to you before. I trust you, and I'll always be here for you if you ever want me to be."

Kate resisted the undeniable urge to step back into the elevator. "Jack, what aren't you telling me?"

"Yet?" Jack brought his right hand up to rub at his left arm. "Well, to begin with . . . First I have to say, I'm sorry I kept this from you. I'm sorry I lied to you about who I am, who my companions are."

Now Kate did make a tiny motion backwards. "Jack, please, what the heck are you talking about?"

He sighed. "My name's not Jack Turner," he answered quietly. "We all thought up names that had something to do with ourselves, like Peter, or that sounded like our own names, like Hyde and me and the others. We picked Max and Micah's for them, so they wouldn't go choosing some strange Indian name or whatever."

"And . . . what is your name?"

"You'll know it in a second. I'm sorry I couldn't come right out and tell you back then in the car who I was, that I was one of those you really wanted to meet. Oaths of secrecy are a real pain sometimes."

Kate narrowed her eyes, starting to get where he was going with this.

"Brace yourself, Kate."

The girl froze at what happened next. One moment, Jack – who wasn't Jack, but apparently someone else – was standing right there, a sorrowful look in his brilliant, alien blue eyes. And then . . .

. . . he disappeared.

It wasn't an outright vanishing, she was quick to notice, in the kind of observation one has when one is looking really closely at something. First he flickered, then he was gone, as if he was some sort of complex hologram that had been turned off.

And that's exactly what it was, she found. The Pontiac turned itself on, idling for a moment before _it_ happened.

Kate was certain she was hallucinating. No way could this be _real_. She had a voice in her head, why not some imagining that she was seing a . . . Transformer . . .

He didn't do the fancy trick in the movie, where he did some breakdancing move. Instead, as his pieces all settled into place, he was obviously trying to remain as still as possible. This was no cheerful hello. This was no quick transformation in the heat of battle. No, this was a somber, careful shift, and his end posture radiated of guilt and anxiety. His glowing blue visor pointed toward the ground, awaiting Kate's reaction.

A reaction that was both fast and slow in coming, if such was possible. She stared at the Autobot in front of her, no words able to describe how shocked she was. "_Jazz_?" she gasped when she first had control of her voice.

The fifteen-foot warrior glanced up, then quickly down again, deflating. He was just as expressive now as he was with his holoform, some small part of her noticed, but the rest of her didn't know what to think. _He's alive!_ warred with, _Everything I said about the Autobots, he already knew, and he didn't _tell _me! He's one of them, and he didn't _tell_ me!_

She was hurt, plain and simple. In another situation, she would have been ecstatic, probably. Or she might have fainted. Right now, however, despite understanding why he hadn't told her, she felt betrayed.

She stepped back into the elevator, numbly pressing the button for the level she had stayed on for the past couple days. Jazz looked up quickly, clearly itching to go to her but shrinking back at the same time. "Kate?" he questioned quietly, and if she had needed any confirmation that this was the same person she had known for the last few days, then his voice would have done it.

Kate shook her head, forcing herself not to cry. "I need to think."

"Kate . . ." She heard the pain in his voice, and she knew this hurt him just as much as it hurt her, but she couldn't bring herself to step out and go to him.

So she looked away, wiping again at the tears that stung her eyes. "Goodnight."

The last she saw of him when the doors closed was the sight of him shrinking down toward the pavement in shame. Only after she had somehow made it back to her room did she allow herself to do something similar. She kicked off her shoes, unable to undress more than that, then curled up on her bed and cried.

* * *

**Edited 4-27-10**


	13. Chapter 13: Delayed Reactions

Thank you for reviewing, **TheGirlInTheMirror0415**, **Snowy (X-raydog)**, **ArmoredSoul**, **whitedino**, **AutobotGirl6**, **Trickster91**, **autobotgirl12328**,**Rai180**, and **Yuro-Faita911**!

**Yuro-Faita911--** Yeah, I got on a roll a few days ago, and wrote three chapters in one day. :-P That's how I'm able to get one out so quickly! One more completed chapter after this, then we'll be backed up again. XD

Watched _Transformers: Revenge of The Fallen_ yesterday. Lots of stuff to skip. So much unnecessary junk . . . Why did they have to have the dogs like that? And other stuff like that . . . Second half or so was better, though, once they met Jetfire, although there were still a few spots to avoid. I like the old Seeker! And Mudflap and Skids, though they won't be making an appearance (**Edit: Until Ghost Chronicles Book 3, anyway.**). I already have one set of twins, the Autobot base does not need to be reduced to a pile of rubble!

It is possible I will be introducing something like NEST, once I figure out what that stands for. However, nothing of the plot of the second movie will be included. (**Edit: That will be included in Book 3.**) STAY DEAD, MEGATRON!! Don't worry, though, still plenty of Decepti-creeps to be bad guys. :-P

That also means the Fallen won't make an appearance! (**Edit: And here again, I eat my words. :-P Though, technically, he won't . . .**) Although I like reading character/self-inserts, I myself will not ever write a story using a movie as the plot, substituting or supplementing my own character. I will have my own plot, my own combination of characters, and my own clichés used. :-P

* * *

_**Chapter Thirteen – Delayed Reactions**_

_Please don't tell me you're going to sleep the whole morning away again._

Kate groaned, grabbing blindly for a pillow. When she succeeded in snatching one, she clapped it down over her head. "Fi' mo' min't's."

_Katherine Donnelly, you know very well that won't help matters. Come on! Wake up and face the music._

Disoriented, Kate pushed aside the pillow and raised her head, looking around with bleary, uncomprehending eyes. "There's no music, Vor."

_I declare, you are horrible in the morning._

Kate shook her head, resigned to the fact that the voice wouldn't let her sleep anymore. Looking down, she frowned. "Why am I not in my pajamas?"

_You didn't get changed last night. Oh, come on. I didn't block that memory, so you should remember what happened._

Kate yawned, stretching. "Give it a couple minutes," she suggested, getting up to head for the bathroom. It was in the middle of her shower when it all hit her, and she dropped her head against the plastic wall with a thud. "Did that really happen, Vor?"

_Sure as I'm here, dearie._

"I'm . . . a guest of the Autobots."

_Got it in one,_ came the cheery reply.

Too cheery, Kate decided with a frown. "They lied to me."

_Hearing that now, the words sound pathetic. You would lie to them, were your positions switched._

"Maybe, but-"

_But, what? Is there any "but" at all?_

Her movements through the rest of the shower were quick and aggravated. "I trusted them."

_And now they've proven that they trust you. Jazz told you last night, if you'll remember. They still think of you as a friend._

"He knew I knew about them! And he didn't say anything!"

_Hello~! Oath of secrecy, and all? And if he had told you then, you would have thought for sure you were insane._

"I'm already insane."

_Not as much as you think, but we'll talk about that later. Katherine, it _hurt_ Jazz to hide this from you, and it hurt him to see your reaction! You saw that as well as I did! Don't go telling me you're the worse off, here._

Kate, now fully dressed in front of the mirror in the same jeans, shoes, and jacket that Jazz had gotten her, but with a dark blue tanktop instead of teal, tugged her gloves on with sharp motions. "I just felt so . . . betrayed."

_You seem to be forgetting one important fact, my dear. He was _dead_? Can't you cut the guy some slack?_

"Him being . . . _dead_ . . ." Kate choked on the word, then shook her head. "That has nothing to do with this."

_Katherine, he apologized repeatedly in advance, and then looked so pitiful when he did show himself to you. And when you backed away like that . . ._

Kate shut her eyes against the tears. "I told you, I felt betrayed. And, not to mention, I was numb with shock. I was hardly able to make it back here last night. I thought I had lost the rest of my mind!"

_Can't say I blame you. They were just characters in a movie to you, last you knew. So, you've voiced your reasons for why you acted that way. Now what are you going to do?_

"I- I don't know."

_Well, you could try forgiving them, for starters. Yourself apologizing doesn't have to come right away. And before you ask why you would apologize, need I remind you how hurt Jazz looked last night? He probably thinks you hate him now._

Horrified at the thought, Kate leaned heavily against the door. "Oh, no . . ."

_Oh, yes. In fact, he's probably sulking._

"But . . ."

_Oh, just get out there and find him._

Spurred on, Kate left her room and looked up and down the empty hallway. Where was she supposed to look?

The kitchen yielded nothing. So did the rec room and Jackson's – Wheeljack's – small lab. In fact, she was the only one on the whole level.

"Where is he," she muttered to herself. "He couldn't be still upstairs, could he?"

_Probably he and the rest of the gang, unless some are downstairs. Well, time's a-wasting. Get yourself up there._

"You can be a real pain sometimes, you know that?"

_All too well, considering how many times you've told me. Now, mush!_

Kate blinked. "Mush?"

_Just _GO_!_

_........_

"Jazz."

The Autobot sat there, staring out the open warehouse door to the land beyond. Prime's voice came again, and he looked up.

Optimus looked down at his lieutenant in concern. "You told her?" he guessed.

"Yup," came the toneless reply as Jazz turned his gaze back to the desert. His commander waited another few moments, then asked, "How did she take it?"

"How do you think?"

Optimus sighed, turning to share the view. "Not well."

"Well, yeah," Jazz answered sarcastically. "I mean, I wouldn't be here wallowing in self-guilt if she hadn't . . . hadn't . . ."

Optimus stopped him. "What exactly happened?"

Jazz sighed. "I probably chose the wrong time to tell her, for one thing. Vor was making her remember that incident she mentioned, and then forgot. She looked so _betrayed_, Optimus. Though, shock was very present. I mean, she thought we were fictional characters from a movie. But . . . she trusted us, and I broke that trust the moment I started lying to her."

"You did profess qualms about lying even further to her."

"And I did nothing! I could have pulled over and _shown_ her that we were real."

"But then she would have doubted her sanity. There is no going back, Jazz. We all found that out so very long ago."

Jazz felt himself deflate again. "I can only hope she will forgive me. Right now, I'm pretty sure she hates me."

He heard the much larger bot shift beside him, and then Optimus spoke. "It appears we are about to find out. I will be outside if I am needed. Jazz . . ."

"I'll be okay. And I don't blame her for acting this way. You go on, I'll call you when it's time for reintroductions."

Optimus nodded once, then transformed and left. Not a moment later, the elevator doors began to open.

........

"So you think he's upstairs."

_Where else?_

"Maybe downstairs?"

_Well, check upstairs first, then downstairs if he's not in the warehouse. Just don't go outside the warehouse. If the Autobots are real, then those Decepticons sure are, too. No sense in taking risks like that._

"Gotcha. Oh, here's the elevator. Whew, Wheeljack was right; we need golf carts for us wee humans."

_Worn out?_

"Not really, just . . . It's taking too long to look. Where do you suppose the others are?"

_Elsewhere, waiting for you two to make your peace._

"Really?"

_It's what I'd do if I were Optimus Prime. And Sideswipe, despite his joking ways, knows better than to interrupt something like this._

Kate found herself laughing. "It's still kinda hard to believe sometimes that I pulled a prank like that on _the_ Sideswipe and Sunstreaker. No wonder they acted like that!"

_Indeed. Our stop's coming up, Kate. You ready?_

She immediately sobered, feeling very nervous. "No, not really. But I have to do this."

_Yes. Yes, you do. Here we are. Don't mess this up, Kate._

"I won't."

The elevator doors opened, and Kate paused. There he sat, staring out at the desert beyond the open warehouse door. He wasn't sulking, but he did look very dejected, and he cringed as she took a step forward.

Kate made her way across the floor to Jazz with slow, deliberate, but uncertain steps. Finally, she walked around front and stopped, looking up at his face. She could see the tension in his frame, the unconscious bracing for whatever she had to say. His visor was turned away from her, as if afraid to see what expression she bore.

She shifted on her feet uncomfortably. Vor gave her a sharp mental prodding, and she opened her mouth.

"I forgive you."

Slowly, almost disbelievingly, Jazz's gaze turned toward her. "You-"

Kate nodded, swallowing the lump in her throat. "I forgive you. All of you. I understand why you didn't tell me, and I'm sorry I acted the way I did."

Jazz shook his head. "You don't have to apologize. You were in shock, and you had good reason to feel betrayed. Me, I don't feel like I've said sorry _enough_."

Kate found herself grinning, then stepped forward and gave him as much as a hug as she could. "Don't go loathing yourself, Jazz. Let it go."

She felt his arms encircle her very carefully, as if he was afraid he was going to hurt her again. "I chose a bad time to tell you, though, didn't I?"

Now she laughed. "No, silly. I haven't thought about _that_ since you came into the rec room and I asked you about the Wizard of Oz."

That earned a relieved smile. "I'm glad," Jazz whispered.

"Yeah, me, too. Hey, speaking of the Wizard of Oz, what was Wheeljack's dream really like?"

"Just as he told you," the bot chuckled, cheering up. "Except, we were all in mech mode, and Bumblebee was in car mode. The flying monkeys were all Decepticons, and Megatron really did have pink daisies painted on him."

"The twins' handiwork, I presume?"

"Actually, I think it was yours."

"You're kidding!"

"Nope. Your prank really made an impression on everyone."

"Wow. And I really beat three many-thousands-of-years-old Autobots at a video game?"

"Many times, I might add." Jazz let her go and held out his hand. "Would you like a lift?"

Grinning, Kate nodded. "Thanks. So where is everybody?"

"Working on the lower levels, though Optimus is outside somewhere, waiting for us to be done so he can meet you properly."

Kate settled herself on her friend's shoulder, trusting him to keep her safe. "So Vor was right. And Jazz?"

"Yes, Kate?"

She smiled as he turned his head toward her, though it was rather difficult for him to look at her on his shoulder. "I'm glad you're alive."

Jazz laughed. "Me, too, Katie-girl. Me, too."

* * *

**Edited 4-27-10**


	14. Chapter 14: Who Vor Is

Thank you for reviewing, **ArmoredSoul**, **whitedino**, **TheGirlInTheMirror0415**, and **Trickster91**!

**TheGirlInTheMirror0415--** I know! But then you would think you were crazy. :-P

I'm making use of something possibly cliché, now. I know it has been used before, but I also know this plot device has never been used in this exact way! This is something I decided that got me over my writer's block and gave the story more plot, though something else has also been decided since I decided on the first thing that gives the sequel its plot. Cryptic enough? XD I apologize if this is too cliché! However, complaints about that will make no difference. This will not be changed. :-P

* * *

_**Chapter Fourteen – Who Vor Is**_

"Autobots, assemble!"

Kate stared at the line of mechs with wide eyes. To see just one was one thing; to see this many was another matter entirely. "This is so _awesome_," she breathed. "Jazz, Vor, please tell me I'm not dreaming."

Jazz gave her an amused look. "If I were part of the dream, what good would it be if I told you?"

"Point. Vor?"

Vor laughed. _No, dearie. You're awake and alive and as sane as ever._

"Not much of a reassurance," Kate muttered. At Jazz's questioning glance, she told him what Vor had said.

Now Jazz laughed. "You're sane enough. Come on, up you get. It helps, I'm told, to be able to look the mech in the eyes when you're being introduced."

"Yeah, no kidding," she answered in wonder, climbing into his hand. Jazz was somewhat shorter than the rest of the Autobots, but the boost in height really helped.

They stopped first at Optimus, who bowed his head in her direction. "I apologize for the deception, Katherine. It is a pleasure to be able to meet you as myself, Optimus Prime."

Kate grinned up at him. "As I told Jazz, I forgive you guys for that. I really do understand. And it's nice to meet you, Optimus."

Optimus smiled at her, and Jazz brought her to the next mech in line. Big and black, Ironhide actually looked a little sheepish, his door wings a little droopy. "I know you don't want any more apologies, kid, but I'm sorry, too."

Kate laughed. "It's okay, Uncle Hide. Really, it is. So no more apologies about this out of the rest of you mechs."

Wheeljack was next. Just as she had assumed, she could see that same blockish red and green detailing on his body, and the ear fins – vocal indicators – that he had in pictures she had seen. "It was really hard when we first met, you know," he laughed. "You nearly made Jazz give the whole thing away!"

Smirking, Kate looked up at the scientist. "Well, _some_ of you chose names too close to the real thing. It's a good thing for you that I thought Autobots were fictional. Optimus and Bumblebee were the most original out of every one of you!"

"Hey, what about us?"

Kate turned her smirk on the twins, standing next in line with their shiny red and yellow armor. "You guys didn't choose your names."

"True, that," agreed Wheeljack.

Kate rolled her eyes, then gave the twins a mischievous grin. "So, Sideswipe and Sunstreaker, eh?"

"Sides and Sunny are their nicknames," Jazz offered helpfully.

"Yeah, I know. I've read fan fictions on these guys."

Sideswipe blinked, his optics flickering off and on. "Fan fictions? I thought we weren't in the movie."

"Well, yeah, but there's other _Transformers_ worlds besides the one for the movie, like G1, or Generation One. Uncle Hide, be very glad you aren't a red minivan." Kate's grin broadened. "It is absolutely hilarious, and based on Vor's laughter, I'd say she agrees."

Ironhide glowered at her. "Yes. I am _very_ glad I did not choose such a vehicle."

"Actually, the ship's computer chose it, and it was the eighties. Hey, Sunstreaker, why so cross?"

Sunstreaker leveled a black finger at her. "That prank has not been forgotten."

Jazz pulled her back a bit. "Sorry, Sunny, you can't pay her back for that, since that was punishment for the extinguisher foam way back when."

"Ah, but no one ever said I can't prank her."

"Not for another week, yet," a new voice pointed out, and Kate turned to see Ratchet standing there. "How are you feeling, Katherine?"

"Much better," she answered, "though I still feel like I'm in a dream that I'll wake up from at any moment."

"That is good to hear," the medic chuckled. "Jazz, I expect you to bring her to the med bay at some point today for a _proper_ checkup, since primitive human methods can only do so much."

Kate shook her head. "I had a feeling you were going to say that. It's noninvasive, right?"

"That is correct."

"Good. I think I can handle that. Hey, Sides, Sunny! What cars did you guys pick?"

The twins looked at each other, smug looks on their faceplates. Behind her, Ratchet groaned. "Oh, here we go."

The two collapsed in on themselves as they transformed, revving their engines when they were done. As they did, Kate's jaw literally dropped. "Holy . . . _crap_ . . ." was all she managed. A moment later, she squealed. "That is so stinkin' _awesome_! Where did you _find_ a Lamborghini Reventón?"

"Out on the road two hours' drive from here," the red Lamborghini answered. "It was silver, if you want to know."

Kate found herself laughing. "Did you know that there are, like, less than two dozen here in the United States? Now I _know_ I'm dreaming."

"Nope, you're still 'awake, alive, and as sane as ever,'" Jazz told her, chuckling. "And yes, we are aware of how conspicuous these two will be out on the roads."

The twins transformed again, looking especially proud that Kate liked their altmodes. "So who's this Vor you keep talking about?" Sideswipe asked, once again pulling a non sequitur question out of thin air.

Kate blinked. "Oh. She's my voice of reason."

_Not really,_ came a sheepish correction.

"Voice of reason?" Sideswipe questioned, but Kate was hardly paying attention, distracted by Vor's comment.

_What do you mean, Vor? It's what you told me._

_Yes, before I remembered._

"There you go with the memory thing, again," Kate muttered. Sideswipe sent a questioning glance at Jazz, but she could tell that he almost immediately picked up on the fact that she was talking to Vor, as did Sunstreaker. None of them had really heard her start conversing with Vor aloud before, she knew, and she had obviously thrown them for a moment.

She focused back on Vor, who was answering. _Is it so hard to believe I have memories?_

_Well, yeah, you're a voice in my head, spawned by my subconscious._

_Not . . . exactly . . ._

_Yeah? So what are you, if not that?_

Vor told her, and Kates eyes went wider than they had when she saw the twins' cars. "Oh, you have _got_ to be kidding me."

"What? What is it?"

Kate ignored Jazz for once, doing her best to keep it together, but she wasn't doing a very good job. "I think I'm going to throw up."

And throw up, she did.

........

"I'm really sorry about that."

Jazz laughed. "Hey, it's all coo'. Nothin' got on me. Now, what got you so upset?"

Kate frowned. "I'll tell you all in a little bit. I still have to talk to Vor about it, and I'd rather do it where it won't matter if I start talking aloud."

"Hmm, med bay, then. Hatchet will want to make sure you're okay, based on the way he was acting when I took you to rinse your mouth."

"Not surprised. Usually when a human throws up, they're really sick."

"And considering you recently escaped from a bunch of kidnappers . . ."

"Ratchet has good reason to want to make sure I'm okay. I'm fine with the noninvasive examination of an Autobot medic, but human doctors make me nervous."

Jazz smiled. "Understandably. Come on, let's get you to the med bay so you can sort things out with that voice of yours."

Kate nodded, doing her best to keep from thinking about it. She had thought her friends being Autobots was a doozy, but _this_ . . .

Jazz surprised her by transforming, popping the passenger door open for her when he was done. She got in, pleased by the prospect of relaxing while he drove. The door closed, and the Pontiac made his way back toward the elevator.

The girl smiled at how quick this was. "Yeah, Wheeljack's definitely right. Us humans need some sort of transportation when you guys are busy."

"Anything specific in mind?" Jazz asked through the car speakers. She shrugged in reply. "Wheeljack suggested golf carts."

_Just as long as Wheeljack doesn't start experimenting with them,_ Vor put in. In return, Kate scowled. "Not talking to you, Vor."

_Right now, at least?_

_Exactly. I want to get to somewhere I can rant and rave at you aloud without being heard by a Decepticon spy. I'm overwhelmed, Vor. I only _just_ found out about the Autobots, that the movie I'm carrying around is real. And now you drop _this_ on my lap. Couldn't you have waited?_

_I waited a couple days, actually. I didn't want you having to operate under that false belief anymore._

_It's what you told me you were!_

_When I had amnesia, yes._

_Hang on, how did _you_ get amnesia?_

_It was a consequence of splitting myself between dimensions._

"Between _dimensions_?!" Kate sat bolt upright in her seat, and Jazz applied the brakes in shock. "Wait, what?" he asked. "What's this about dimensions?"

"Hang on," she told him. "Still figuring things out."

"All right," he sighed. "Just so you know, we're going down a level, so don't be surprised by new, gigantic surroundings."

"I take it the main reason I wasn't allowed down there was because of the Cybertronian sized stuff?"

"Got it in one."

"Hmm." _Now, Vor, what's this about dimensions?_

_Well, for starters . . . You're actually from this one._

Kate let her head fall back against the headrest. "Oh, buggers. Now I've heard everything."

_Not quite._

"Yeah, what else can there be? How long exactly have you been with me, amnesiac or not?"

_Only my amnesiac self was ever with you before you were brought back here. And to answer your question, I've been with you since you were eight, although I couldn't really speak to you until after you were kidnapped for the first time._

"Ugh . . . Jazz, I wanna go back to bed . . ."

"Sorry, Kate. Doc's orders."

"Right," she muttered.

"Besides, we're here already. You can take a nap while waiting for Ratchet, if you're done talking to Vor."

Kate nodded slowly, liking that idea very much. "I don't think I can handle much more from her until I get a little more rest. I had a hard time sleeping last night, as one might imagine."

"Yeah," he agreed quietly.

"Oh, stop it," she chastised as she got out. "First I was up late because of a bad memory, and then I had trouble going back to sleep because I had a big shock. That's all. I would have reacted the same if any one of the others had told me, and I'm glad it was you who did."

Jazz transformed and lifted her up to a large berth. "I still feel guilty."

"Well, you can stop that now. I've forgiven you, so stop beating yourself up about it."

Grinning, Jazz nodded. "Yes, ma'am. Now, get some sleep, you. I'll be right here if you need me."

She gave him a thumbs-up, too tired for much of anything else. Laying down, using one of her arms as a pillow, she promptly fell asleep.

........

_Kate._

No answer. More loudly this time.

_Kate!_

And again, no answer. Finally, she shouted.

_Katherine Donnelly!_

Kate came awake with a start, Vor's calls echoing in her mind. "I can't get five minutes of uninterrupted sleep?" she griped, not bothering to check if she was alone in the room as she rubbed her eyes.

_You got half an hour, dearie._

"I think you've temporarily lost the right to call me that, Vor."

_Why, because I've told you the truth?_

"No, because you lied to me before."

_I didn't lie to you,_ the voice protested. _I had amnesia; I didn't know any better. That was the only thing I could figure I was._

"Yeah, well, you could have told me when you first started remembering."

_Would you have believed me?_

"Good point. How could anyone believe _that_?"

_Besides, I had to get my memories sorted out first. Having the memories of two separate lives can get mighty confusing, even for someone like me._

"Vor, I'm pretty sure you're the _only_ one who has ever had the memories from two separate lives."

_True._

"So how old are you, exactly?"

_Much more than all these Autobots put together._

"Wow."

_Yes._

"So that was your memory two nights ago?"

_That is correct._

Kate sighed, letting her eyes fall closed again as she relaxed. "So I've got the freakin' All Spark in my head. Joy."

There was a choking noise to her left, and Kate froze. _Oh, shoot. I totally forgot that Jazz would be here, and that Ratchet was coming._

_Well, at least they know now._

_Not helping, Vor._

She sat up carefully, nervously turning to face the wide optics of her friends. Jazz and Ratchet looked stunned, floored by what she had just said. Ratchet held up a finger, which Kate took to mean he was about to say something. She was right.

"What . . . did you just say?"

Kate winced. "Vor's claiming to be the All Spark."

_Not just claiming, child. I can prove it._

_Yeah? How?_

_Give me a moment. I don't have my memories completely in order yet, so there's still some things I can't remember, like how we bounced from one dimension to the other, possessions intact._

Ratchet leaned in closer, studying Kate carefully. "The All Spark?" he asked, not quite able to believe it, based on the tone of his voice. Kate nodded, then held up a finger of her own. "Hold on a sec, she's thinking of a way to prove it. Anytime, Vor."

_Hey, you try picking out one spark signature from the millions through time. Ah, here we are. Tell the medic that he's this old._ Vor listed a number, and Kate's eyes grew large again.

"Holy crap, that's ancient! And are you sure you got the right one?"

Vor laughed. _Trust me, Katherine. He's not an easy one to forget._

Kate grinned. "Yeah, you got that right. Okay. Ratchet, she says you're this old." She told him the number, and Ratchet jerked back in shock.

Jazz whistled. "Ain't this quite a development."

"I take it she's the real deal?"

"That's a distinct possibility." Ratchet leaned forward again. "Hold still," he instructed.

Kate nodded, doing as she was told. A light washed over her from the medic's optics, and Vor giggled. _That tickles._

_Really? I didn't feel a thing._

_Well, you also can't sense my children._

"Oh, now that's a strange thought."

"What?" Jazz asked, curious.

"The being in my head is basically the mother of all Cybertronians. Ooh, head rush." Kate sank to the metal berth and held her head in her hands.

Jazz carefully stroked the back of her head with a comforting hand as Ratchet busied himself with analyzing his scans. "Are you going to be okay?"

"Yeah. You guys can go ahead and tell the others. I'm going back to sleep. And Vor, I don't care who you are in this case. You are not going to wake me up until I'm good and ready, or unless there's an emergency."

The voice of the All Spark laughed. _Very well. This time, I will let you be. Rest well._

Kate lay back down, closing her eyes. _Oh, believe me, I will._

"Want me to stay, Kate?" Jazz asked.

"Nah, it's okay," she murmured sleepily. "You go and spread the news. Be sure to get footage of their reactions for me. Their shocked expressions are bound to be priceless."

She heard him chuckle. "All right. I'll check back in a while, see how you're doing."

"M'kay. Night . . ." Kate yawned, feeling herself drifting off. She didn't know what was going to happen when she woke up. But somehow, she knew everything was going to be okay.

* * *

**Edited 4-27-10**


	15. Chapter 15: Her Scars

Thank you for reviewing, **TheGirlInTheMirror0415**, **autobotgirl12328**, **ArmoredSoul**, **Mskatee**, **Koi**, **BleedmetoINSANITY**, **Trickster91**, **precious92**, **CherryBlossom713**, and **whitedino**!

**autobotgirl12328**-- Actually, I'd hate to be. :-P She's really had a bad life as a teen!

**Mskatee**-- Thank you for sparing me from your wrath! XD And don't worry, they're coming!

**Koi**-- Actually, she has had friends, despite what she said before. A couple chapters ago, she mentioned fellow gamers and a computer expert she hung out with. She's forgotten a lot, and is slowly remembering things without Vor holding the memories back. She didn't go unscathed from her traumatizing experiences! But thanks, maybe I will take that test sometime, if I ever have free time where I'm not writing or doing something else. :-P

**whitedino**-- Congrats, and thanks for bringing the total to 100! *dances*

Just to clarify, this is set a year after the movie. I'm figuring the movie was set in the spring, what with Mrs. Witwicky's flower garden, so this is the spring after that. That means there is at least a year to go before when RotF is set, and I will be setting a bit of a stage for a tie-in to the movie with this and the sequel. I now have a third story in mind, thought the main plot still has to be figured out. All I know is that the first chapter will deal with why some of the Autobots aren't present in the movie, and what happens directly afterwards. Which means, in the third story, Skids and Mudflap will be present, despite what I said in the previous chapter's author note. :-P

Working on chapter sixteen right now, and forgot that it wasn't chapter fifteen! So here you go! Amusing, and more serious at the end.

* * *

_**Chapter Fifteen – Her Scars**_

"Say _what_, now?"

Jazz looked from Optimus to Wheeljack and back again, a broad grin on his holoform's lips. He had found their own holoforms activated inside the human-sized lab, taking a look at the All Spark fragment, and had decided now was as good a time as ever to break the news.

"Vor is the All Spark," he repeated, double-checking to be sure he was recording this for Kate. She had been right in her prediction; their expressions were priceless.

Wheeljack looked down at the dead shard on the table, clearly dumbfounded. "But . . . how? Kit's had Vor since she was fifteen. The shard only shocked her a week or so ago."

Jazz stopped recording. "Guess that's something you'll have to ask her later."

Optimus took a deep breath. "Where is she now?"

"Sleeping in the med bay. Ratchet's going over his scans there."

"I see. Alert me when she wakes up. This certainly complicates matters."

Jazz frowned. "How exactly?"

"If the Decepticons were to catch wind of this, Katherine would be in danger. However, we cannot keep her here against her will. She has rights, and a life to live."

Frown transformed into knowing smile. "I think I know what she'll choose, but far be it from me to assume. You're right, Optimus. In the meantime, though, permission to tell the others?"

Optimus sighed. "Granted."

Wheeljack stood, coming out of his stunned state, and began to pace. "What are we going to tell the humans arriving in two days?"

"I do not know," the Prime admitted. "We will just have to cross that bridge when we come to it."

Jazz shook his head. "How'd you get them to put off coming until you gave the go ahead?"

"I cited needing to acclimate a new arrival. As Kate was and is a new arrival, I have not lied."

"Do they know we've got twins here?"

"No, although I did notify them that two more Autobots have arrived."

Jazz's grin was broad. "Oh, this is gonna be priceless . . . Can't wait to see those soldiers' faces! Especially after they find out what insanity happens in Sides' and Sunny's presence. Not really looking forward to haggling out the politics, though."

"Come to think of it, they haven't met me yet," Wheeljack pointed out. "I suppose it would be in all of our best interests form me to refrain from conducting any experiments that day."

"Yeah, no kiddin'," Jazz laughed. "I don't think we ever remembered to mention your destructive capabilities in all the time you've been here."

"For that record, it's only been four months or so. The battle was last spring, right?"

"Four months is still a long time to go without mentioning something so important," the saboteur countered.

Optimus held up his hands in an appeasing gesture. "We have been busy with the construction of our base. I am sure the Secretary of Defense will understand. Wheeljack, postpone research on the splinter for now and continue with the plans for Teltraan-One. Jazz, not a word of our discovery is to be spoken aboveground. Make certain the twins understand this."

"Will do, boss-man."

"Yes, sir."

Optimus nodded in satisfaction. "You have your orders, Autobots. Dismissed."

........

Jazz knew exactly who he was going to tell next. As tough and trigger happy as Ironhide could be, the lieutenant knew he had a giant soft spot for the girl. No one would ever dare to call him a softie to his face, except for the twins, maybe, but many Autobots knew that Ironhide was very protective of the younger bots, and now the humans. "Uncle" was an apt title for him, although Jazz could see a grandfather figure in him as well, if not father-figure. If Chromia was alive and ever made it back to them, Jazz knew that any sparklings they had would have ol' 'Hide wrapped around their little digits. But again, he knew better than to ever, _ever_ voice these thoughts aloud, lest the weapons specialist be after him with a particular fervor.

The third level down was the only place he needed to look for the older mech. Ironhide was happily going at it with his cannon and a Decepticon target in the shooting range, blasting the dummy to pieces.

Jazz waited just inside the door for Ironhide to finish. This was brought about in short order as the dummy's head was obliterated, incinerated, and otherwise demolished. Ironhide subspaced his cannon as soon as he noticed Jazz's presence, and appeared slightly anxious for news. "How is she?" he asked without preamble, blurting out the question as soon as he stood in front of Jazz.

Jazz smiled. "Not to worry, Uncle Hide," he teased, earning a glare. "Kate's fine, just tired. She's sleeping in the med bay, and we are all under express orders to not wake her unless it's an emergency."

Ironhide visibly relaxed. "That's good. What made her expel her morning fuel like that?"

Jazz shuffled his feet. "Actually, that was the remainder of last night's meal. Ratchet's going to make sure there's food standing ready for her to eat as soon as she wakes up."

"She didn't have breakfast?" the black mech asked, alarmed. "Why not?"

"She was too worried about repairing relations with me an' the rest of us."

"You still haven't told me what made her throw up."

Jazz grinned. "Vor told her something that shocked her real good. Prowl would overload his CPU if he were here to listen to this."

Ironhide narrowed his optics. "Why?"

Do it with style, or not at all. In some cases, doing it with style meant just laying it flat out for a mech. "Vor's the All Spark."

Ironhide stared at him. When he didn't move for a while minute, Jazz waved a hand in front of Ironhide's face. "Hey, big guy, ya there?"

He didn't respond. With a broad grin, Jazz radioed Ratchet.

"_What is it?"_ came the cranky reply.

Jazz snickered, making sure he had video evidence of the old mech standing frozen like that.

"_I think I just broke Ironhide."_

Ratchet's sigh was audible even over the comlink. _"Get him up here."_

With a smirk, Jazz complied. _"Yes, sir."_

_........_

After getting the frozen weapons specialist to the second level and Ratchet's Autobot-sized med bay, Jazz checked on Kate. She was still sleeping soundly, just as she was when he left her, and so he set off in search of the twins.

He didn't have to look far. They had their holoforms activated in the rec room, taunting each other as they battled in _Call of Duty 4_ yet again.

Sideswipe looked up as he entered. "Jazz, m'man! Care to join us?"

Jazz grinned. "Thanks, but no thanks. I'm headin' back to the med bay after I fill you in."

Sunstreaker paused the game. "How's the kid doing?"

"Pretty good, considering. She's sleepin', though, and we're not to wake her. Unless you want to face her and Ratchet's combined wrath." He winked, and the twins grimaced. "For once, I'll pass," said Sideswipe.

"Good thinkin'. Hey, thought you guys would like t' know, I broke Ironhide."

"What!" came the dual chorus. The twins had been trying for millennia.

Sunstreaker dropped his controller onto the couch. "How did you manage that?"

Jazz's grin grew broader. "Told 'im the reason Kate threw up in shock."

"And?" the twins prompted.

And Jazz told them.

........

Ratchet looked up from where he was seated at a desk to the side, having opted not to go into his office so he could keep an optic on Kate. "Any more patients?" he asked dryly as Jazz stepped into the med bay. Ironhide was more or less recovered, and also looked at the recently returned mech from where he sat by Kate's side.

Jazz grinned, lacing his fingers together behind his head. "Nah. The twins fainted dead away, but woke up shortly after. They're speechless, Hatchet. Speechless! Kate's gonna love the footage I took of 'em."

Ratchet blinked. "Ironhide freezing up, Sideswipe and Sunstreaker stunned speechless. This certainly is a day of firsts."

"Well, there are special circumstances. What'd you find so far?"

"A faint energy reading centered in her cranium. It is not harmful, nor is the advanced brain activity I've picked up. She has suffered no ill effects physically from the All Spark's – Vor's – presence, and I am willing to wager she is actually in better shape psychologically because of it – her – in light of her kidnappings."

"How noticeable is this reading?"

"Not very. One would have to be within one hundred meters to pick up on it, and to do so, they would have to do a more thorough scan than life sign detection."

Jazz nodded, reassured. "Good. An' . . . How else is she?"

Ratchet was silent for a moment, and Jazz was able to detect Ironhide stiffening. "Recovering," the medic said at last. "Jazz, Ironhide, this girl has clearly suffered a lot in the past two years. Her bones were set in time, but my scans detected signs of past breaks and fractures. Her ribs were cracked in the past, and she has numerous scars besides the ones on her wrists. There was a good amount of time between the two sets of injuries, so I know she was not abused at home, wherever that was. Her kidnappers were not kind to her, but strangely, the slitting of her wrists was the only potentially fatal wounds I could find. The others were painful, perhaps crippling had they been given a chance to become so, but it seems to me that they were methodically inflicted, as if . . ."

"As if they were torturing her for information of some sort," Jazz finished quietly, horrified.

"You should know, there is about a month's time between the first set of wounds and the cuts on her wrists."

"They must have tried to kill her after she escaped the first time," Ironhide theorized, clearly struggling to hold back his anger.

"That would fit with what Katherine told me about how she got them. Apparently, they wanted to kill her in a way that didn't look like murder."

Jazz frowned. "And then they kidnapped her again, months later. Why?"

Ratchet shrugged. "Perhaps they still want what our friend knows, whatever it is."

Jazz lowered himself onto the berth next to Kate's. "Do you think they'll try again, were they to find out where she is?"

"Most probably. We must do everything we can to ensure that she is not captured again. Should she be tortured once more . . ." Ratchet turned saddened optics on the slumbering girl. "I fear she may not recover."

Jazz met Ironhide's determined gaze with a solid resolve of his own. "If her kidnappers dare to lay their dirty hands on her again," he swore to Ratchet, "I promise you, they won't know what hit them."

Ratchet nodded in quiet understanding.

"I know."

* * *

**Edited 5-3-10**


	16. Chapter 16: Meeting With Prime

Thank you for reviewing, **Crystal Rosemary Witwicky**, **TheGirlInTheMirror0415**, **Trickster91**, **ArmoredSoul**, **autobotgirl12328**, **BleedmetoINSANITY**, **freeprincess**, and **whitedino**!

**Crystal Rosemary Witwicky-- **Thank you so much! That is very encouraging. :-)

**TheGirlInTheMirror0415-- **Yes, they would. XD

**Trickster91--** He's such a softie, huh? XD *looks around to make sure she wasn't heard by Ironhide*

**autobotgirl12328--** Yeah, meeting the Autobots would be awesome. :-P Pretty sure _I_ would think I was insane, though!

And now for an observation of mine about my language, a confirmation to myself that I _won't_ be naming the place the Ark like I was considering, and proof that _Call of Duty 4_ isn't the only game the Autobots have!

* * *

_**Chapter Sixteen – Meeting With Prime**_

Kate awoke to the smell of something familiar, something . . . oatmeal-ie? _Is that even a word?_ she asked Vor groggily. Her stomach rumbled at her, reminding Kate just how hungry she was.

Vor sounded happy that she was finally awake. _I've found that the English language is open to all sorts of inventive maiming and murdering, and other terrible mutilation. If you want "oatmeal-ie" to be a word, then for the moment, it can be._

_Glad to hear you haven't lost your sense of humor,_ the girl thought back, amused. She cracked her eyes open, ocean blue peering up at the white ceiling above. There was a rhythmic rumble on both sides, one from farther away. On one of the other berths, perhaps? It sounded like the right distance, based on what she had seen when she came in here. The other sound seemed to be coming from beside her own berth, and she opened her eyes the rest of the way and turned her head to see Ironhide, sound asleep in a mech-sized chair. Looking to her right, she saw Jazz, stretched out and snoozing. Movement toward the foot of the birth caught her attention, and she sat up to watch Ratchet moving quietly towards her. He stopped at the edge of the large metal bed and froze, his optics dimming. In the same instant, his holoform appeared, only to pick up something she had missed when she was looking at him.

Kate's mouth watered as the smell of oatmeal grew stronger. Ratchet smiled at her, obviously pleased that she wasn't complaining of any sickness or pains. "I hope you don't mind, but I added some brown sugar to sweeten it. How are you feeling?"

Kate cracked a grin. "Hungry. And thank you, with brown sugar is the only way I eat my oatmeal."

He appeared relieved as he passed the bowl and spoon to her. "No aches or pains?"

"None," she was pleased to announce. "How long was I asleep?"

"Four hours. Enough time for you to get the rest you needed, for Jazz to freeze Ironhide's processors and render the twins speechless with the news about Vor, and for these two to go into recharge after two hours of silent vigil. The twins stopped in once, but left after I chased them out. Wheeljack visited, but had to get to work on the base's main computer. Optimus visited, as well, but apparently was warned not to disturb you, and just made sure you were doing okay before going back to his work."

Kate blinked, her loaded spoon paused halfway to her mouth. "Wow. And I slept through all of this?"

"You did," Ratchet affirmed. "Jazz has video files to show you when he wakes up. And Prime wishes to speak to you when you are ready."

Kate was no fool; she knew exactly what the commander of the Autobots wanted to talk about. How could she not, with what she had sprung on them? Her mind was already made up, however. When Optimus asked the question, she would have an immediate answer for him. While she could be a little spontaneous sometimes, she had decided it even before she had been told whose vessel she was.

Her sleeping friends began to stir. Jazz was the first to awake, and soon his holoform was hugging her tightly. Although confused, Kate returned the hug, letting him simply hold her for a couple minutes. Maybe Ratchet had figured something out about her injuries? If so, that would explain his behavior. He held her close, but gently, and although she wasn't suffering from memories or nightmares at the moment, she found it comforting all the same. In that hug, she felt the unspoken message that he would protect her, that no one would get at her if he could help it.

At last, Jazz let her go, giving her a bright grin as he pulled away. "Wanna see Ironhide and the twins in utter shock?" he asked, not mentioning a word about what the hug was about. She grinned back, nodding. "Naturally," she answered, throwing a smirk at the black mech who was slowly coming around. "Quick, before Uncle Hide is awake enough to take offense."

"Ah, he's always awake enough to take offense. When you paint him pink, that is."

Ignoring the annoyed look Ironhide gave him, Jazz showed her the looks on the faces of Optimus and Wheeljack first, causing her to laugh. "Wheeljack sure looks shocked, even with the mask," she commented. A MasterCard commercial could be made referring to the two mechs' expressions.

Ironhide's was even more priceless when she watched him freeze up, totally unresponsive, as were the twins' when their holoforms fizzled out. She was cracking up by the end, and it took her several minutes to calm down enough to finish her oatmeal.

Ironhide grumbled softly as he resettled himself in his chair. "Yeah, laugh it up. You would've done the same, or something similar."

Kate grinned. "I threw up, remember? And I always did think it was a little strange how . . . sentient Vor was, so I guess it wasn't that big a leap for me in acceptance. I already know you guys are real. Why not the All Spark in my head?"

Ratchet faced her from where he had returned to his desk. "How long has she been there?"

Kate swallowed a bite of oatmeal. "Nine years, thereabouts, though I've only known of her for two. Come to think of it, I did visit the Hoover Dam with my family when I was eight. Vor doesn't remember everything right now, so I guess we'll have to wait for the whole story on how we've jumped between dimensions."

Jazz shook his head. "The thought's enough to blow my mind. Optimus is on his way, Kate. You ready?"

Kate finished off the last bit of her breakfast. "Yup," she confirmed, nodding. "As much as I can be, that is."

"Nervous?"

She smiled. "Of course. I know what it means to meet with a Prime, and I know what we're going to be talking about. We're not going to be planning your sparkday present, that's for sure."

Jazz's visor flashed brightly in amusement. "True, that. Here he comes."

Kate nodded, her eyes on the med bay doors as she stood up in respect. Pretty soon, they opened to reveal the enormous red and blue bot pausing there, and she couldn't help but be in awe of how large the Autobots were. Despite her excitement and outward appearances, she still wasn't used to seeing and talking to beings more than five times as large as she was. It was a breathtaking sight, to see a living machine thirty-two feet tall standing right in front of you, especially if you were only eight inches shy of six feet, no matter how high the platform you stood on was.

Optimus halted a small distance away before kneeling down to be at eye level with her. For some reason, Kate was glad he hadn't used his holoform. It just didn't seem the right time for it.

She remained still under his serious gaze, feeling silent reassurances from Vor. After a moment, he spoke.

"Katherine," he began, his voice the deep rumble she knew, much more fitting for a mech than the form of a human male in his early forties. He studied her long and hard, as if trying to guess how she would react. Finally, he continued. "You will not be forced to remain here, even if you are the vessel of the All Spark. Freedom is the right of all sentient beings, and I will not rob that from you. You are free to remain here if you wish, but if you should ever choose to leave, I will assign you a guardian, and shall not press the issue."

Kate's smile outshone their optics as she showed her gratefulness. "This is the most at home I've felt since my brother died. Besides, right now, this is the only place I have to go. But regardless of that fact, I do want to stay here. I don't know what the government people will say to that, but I'm willing to fight the red tape if you are. That is to say, yes. I do wish to remain, and I cannot foresee a time yet where that will change."

Optimus didn't seem to know whether to relax or be uneasy. "Do you not have a human guardian? And friends?"

Kate scratched at the back of her head as she forced herself to think. "I can't remember if I had a guardian or not right now. And I do have friends, or one, but he would understand, and I'll see him again, I'm sure. And the others were more like fellow gamers I hung around with, rather than friends. I haven't really gotten close to anyone since Keagan died and I got kidnapped for the first time."

"Hmm." Optimus struck a thoughtful bearing, and Jazz brushed a finger reassuringly against her hair. Ironhide and Ratchet sat still, perhaps giving their opinons to their leader over their internal communications, but looking otherwise content to let him make the final decision. It was a hard choice, she knew. While he had told her she could stay there if she wanted to, the government would no doubt protest, and there was the question of what was best for her and those she once knew.

She gave him a sympathetic look for his dilemma. "If it helps anything, I'll be eighteen in a couple months, on July fourth. Until then, I'll ask for you guys to have temporary custody of me, at least until I remember who my parents are. Then things will get a little tricky, but we'll figure it out, I'm sure."

Finally, Optimus nodded. "Very well. Military personnel, the Secretary of Defense, and our other human friends will be arriving with Bumblebee and Ironhide on Saturday. Whether your government will allow you to stay or not will begin to be answered then. Until then, welcome to our base."

Kate grinned, leaning back into Jazz's hand in contentment. "Thank you, Optimus. Does it have a name yet?"

His head tilted slightly. "No."

"Okay. Whatever you do, don't name it the Ark."

Ratchet blinked. "That was the name of one of the few surviving Cybertronian ships. Its status is unknown. What is your reasoning?"

She laughed. "Just that it seems bad things happen in the Transformers universes to anything named the Ark."

Jazz laughed. "Well, don't you worry. We'll think of something."

Ironhide nodded. "And it _won't_ be named the Ark."

........

The hours following Kate's talk with Optimus were interesting, to say the least. Initially, the twins weren't all that sure how to act around her, but the teen fixed that in short order with a laughing reminder that she was still Kate, even if she wasn't actually crazy. Purposely making her words sound similar to the evening before, she told them, "I may be a troubled teenager, not actually crazy, with the All Spark taking residence in my head, but I can still whup your afts. I haven't changed, you know. All that's different is our knowledge of the situation." She grinned evilly, and she saw the twins' optics brighten. "Which means, in a week, let the prank wars begin."

Their grins matched hers, and she could hear Ratchet groan from where he stood watching. "Primus help us."

Sunstreaker activated his holoform. Plopping down on the couch, the blonde smirked at her. "Let's change the game. _Halo 3_?"

Sideswipe whooped as she nodded. Jazz laughed as he saw the look on her face, and soon the three mechs' holoforms were sitting on the couch in the same order as before, Kate in between Jazz and Sideswipe, with Sunstreaker on the other end from the lieutenant. "I think we can expect similar results as before," Jazz stated, watching as the others took turns changing their Spartans' colors. "The Idiot's Brother" was the brightest yellow offered, with black secondary colors. "Ninja" was similar, but with bright red instead of yellow. Jazz, "Da Jazzman," was already light gray with blue secondaries. Kate, as "Ghost," chose mainly gray with black bands. She smiled, as if at a private joke, but wasn't willing to share just yet. Why, she wasn't exactly sure. She trusted them with everything else, why not this?

Ratchet and Ironhide settled down to watch, fairly certain Jazz was correct in his prediction.

And they were right. First round, with the Guardian map, she trounced them.

They never saw the gravity hammer coming.

* * *

**Edited 5-3-10**

Edit note: Changed "D.J.C. That" to "Da Jazzman."


	17. Chapter 17: Vor's Little Quirk

Thank you for reviewing, **TheGirlInTheMirror0415**, **Trickster91**, **Crystal Rosemary Witwicky**, **Kittisbat**, **Pyra Sanada**, **Fourth Remnant**, **whitedino**, and **ArmoredSoul**!

**TheGirlInTheMirror0415--** Don't worry. For being the first, you get two imaginary cookies! XD

**Trickster91-- **In a few chapters, more will arrive. I have to introduce Kate to the earth gang, yet!

**Kittisbat--** Don't worry, it's not insulting! Flaming is a big no-no, and I find it annoying, but honest-to-goodness real constructive criticism is the way writers grow and get better! I can handle stuff like that, and I know how to answer flaming, too, I think. I just point out why I do what I do, and why their misconceptions are wrong. XD Anywho, I did just take a couple Mary-Sue litmus tests, and one does say Kate's a little Mary-Sue-ish. In the beginning of the story, I think she was a complete Mary-Sue, but I've since fixed that a little bit. Instead of changing that part of the story, I decided to add parts here and there to explain why she feels this way and why that isn't an actual fact. :-P As for the bot/human thing, I don't think that was ever my original intention. This was never intended as a romance. But it has kinda started morphing into that, huh? No promises either way! Most likely, it'll just end up with them being really good friends. It is possible to care about someone a lot and not be in that kind of relationship. Agh, so hard to decide this! Anyhow, thank you so much! I love long reviews. XD (And no, it's not sad that the sound of the gravity hammer was the first thing to cross your mind. XD)

**Pyra Sanada--** Yup! It will be explained in a few chapters. I actually have a whole snippet about that written out. As for Bumblebee, we'll see where my muse takes me. :-P

**Fourth Remnant--** A oneshot, hmm? Maybe after I finish this big story, or when my muse for it stalls. I do have one or two ideas for oneshots, but I haven't introduced the characters yet! So, we'll see. ;-)

Fact: Cows make more of a carbon footprint than cars just by farting. Save the planet: EAT STEAK! XD

Shorter chapter. Don't worry, the humor in the next one will make up for it! XD

Hmm. This should teach the Autobots to not let Kate and Vor get bored . . .

And cue the _Jaws_ theme music . . .

* * *

_**Chapter Seventeen – Vor's Little Quirk**_

Kate woke up Saturday morning with the vague recollection that something was going to happen. Friday had been spent playing the campaign on _Halo 3_ on Legendary, content for the moment to stay out of the way as the Autobots worked on various assignments. Jazz was out on patrol, regrettably, but she understood the need. Ironhide had left the base, but she couldn't really remember why. Optimus was busy doing paperwork, she figured, and Wheeljack was working on something in his lab – a place she was expressly forbidden to go – at the same time as messing with designs for a computer. Ratchet was busy in the med bay with something or other, while the twins were at work in the warehouse above, which wasn't going to remain quite so cavernous and empty very long. There was an airstrip nearby, she was told, not even half a mile away, and that, too, would not remain unused.

With a lot of time on her hands, Kate managed to get a good ways through the game before dinner rolled around, and she was forced by her growling stomach and a stern Vor to get something to eat. Jazz returned around eight, joining Kate in the rec room, and soon the others began drifting in, except for Ironhide. He was still gone, and she vaguely recalled that he would be for another day.

So here she was, Saturday morning, unsure of what to do. She didn't remember what was happening that day, but for once she wasn't in the mood to play a video game.

Kate pulled out her computer for the first time since she had reclaimed it, running gentle fingers over its pale metal shell. It certainly looked fine at first glance, and as Kate turned it on, she smiled at the familiar actions of a MacBook Pro booting up. A quick check at her files, and she was fairly certain that, yes, it had gone unscathed throughout that particular adventure. Her passwords were untampered with, and no one had been able to access anything.

As her fingers hovered over the keyboard, however, ready to do _something_, her smile faded. She just . . . wasn't in the mood right now, for some reason. _But what can I do, if not this?_

Surprisingly, Vor offered a course of action that she just couldn't picture the All Spark doing. _We could prank Ratchet._

Kate chocked on her own saliva. "What?!" she sputtered as soon as she was able, shocked.

Vor made a sound like a snort._ Come on. You're bored, I'm bored . . . Grab some breakfast, grab Wheeljack – I think he's available – and prank Ratchet._

"I can't believe what I'm hearing," she murmured. "You do know he'd kill me, right?"

_Improbable. He knows to be careful with a human, regardless of the fact you're my vessel._

"Wheeljack wouldn't agree."

_You'd be surprised. He's not doing any experiments today, so I'm sure he's bored, as well._

Kate massaged her temples, then turned off her computer and began to get ready for the day, dressing in black cargo pants, with a layered red long-sleeve and white tee-shirt this time. "Fine," she finally agreed, warming to the idea. The more she thought about it, the more she liked it. With a mischievous grin, she left for the kitchen, deciding she would rely on Vor later for finding the scientist.

_So we're agreed?_

"Heck, yeah," Kate laughed. "And I know exactly what I'm going to do, too."

........

Across the country, somewhere deep in the southern Michigan woods, an abandoned factory sat still and quiet. And yet . . . perhaps not so abandoned, after all. Hidden inside, down in the basement, a room thrummed with power, computer screens flickering with various displays. Fans kept the computers cool, while fingers tapped away at keyboards. Beeping drew the attention of one tech, and he accessed the program responsible.

"Boss!" he called, urgency in his voice. "Boss, she's popped up on the grid!"

Steady footsteps carried the summoned man swiftly to the terminal. Dark brown eyes flickered across the display, drinking in the information quickly. "Took her long enough to turn her computer on," he murmured. "As attached to her laptop as she is, I figured our girl would bring it out sooner than this."

The tech got to work narrowing down the location. "I thought she'd be dead by now," he confessed distractedly.

"No, Katherine is resourceful. She escaped once before, and survived our attempt to kill her later. She'd have figured out a way, just as we've discovered. Probably hitchhiked, but where to?"

The tech narrowed his eyes at what had come up. "Nevada?"

"Hmm." The man gave a dark smile. "She's smart, that's for sure. It would have been hard to look for her throughout the entire country, had we not placed the locator chip in her computer. Find out where in Nevada."

"I'm trying, sir. It's working on it. Ah, western part of the state, somewhere in the middle, there. Narrowing it down."

The red square on the map blinked out just then. The tech froze, then groaned. "She turned her laptop off. I'm sorry, sir. That's the best it could get."

The boss frowned. "Contact the air field, have the boys get the plane ready."

"Sir?"

"I'm headed to Nevada. She'll turn it back on sometime in the next few days. When she does, we'll be ready."

The tech frowned. "What if she gets away again? Shouldn't we just resort to getting-"

"No," he interrupted, all too casual. "Not yet. She won't get away. Phantom will be plan B, if she doesn't cooperate this time. We'll catch our little Ghost yet. It is simply a matter of time."

........

The prank was almost ready. Wheeljack had agreed, just as Vor said he would, and now things were nearly complete. Wheeljack jammed Ratchet's sensors so he couldn't detect them, and Kate worked as the scientist held her up high enough to do the job.

Then it was done. Grinning, Kate gave Wheeljack a simple, satisfied nod.

Now, if only they could remember what was so important about today . . .

* * *

**Edited 5-3-10**


	18. Chapter 18: Welcome to Chaos

Thanks for reviewing, **Kittisbat**, **scarlette16**, **Pyra Sanada**, **Fourth Remnant**, **TheGirlInTheMirror0415**, **Trickster91**, **ArmoredSoul**, **autobotgirl12328**, **whitedino**, **KrystalKlear1**, **Riku's Music Lover**, and **darkfairy765**!

**Fourth Remnant--** I laughed when I read your review. It's amazing how close to the mark one can be!

**TheGirlInTheMirror0415--** She is quite possibly. XD

**Trickster91--** You do indeed. :-P Good job on catching that!

**autobotgirl12328--** Yeah, too bad Kate and Wheeljack didn't remember. XD

**darkfairy765--** The answer that question will be answered, don't worry. ;-)

It's strange how different a chapter can turn out from your initial idea. I hope it turned out okay! And cue the medic's wrath . . .

Note: 1 breem = 8.3 minutes

* * *

_**Chapter Eighteen – Welcome to Chaos**_

The road was flat and endless, the drive not quite an eternity. Despite this, however, Major William Lennox directed a content smile at his wife, Sarah. His daughter, little Annabelle, rested comfortably in her car seat in the back, the fourteen-month-old's happy noises silenced in her slumber. It had been an uneventful trip from their farm in the eastern United States, from which they had taken a flight to Reno-Tahoe International Airport, where they were picked up by Ironhide. They soon met up with a slew of government SUVs, led by Bumblebee, and now they were on their way to the Autobots' new base.

Sarah smiled back, and he was reminded how glad he was that she had been allowed to come along. She had reacted well to the news of the Autobots, especially since Ironhide had refrained from showing her his cannons. Sarah was wary at first, but when he protected her during a trip to town the very next day, when a car nearly hit her and Annabelle, she quickly warmed to him, and the Topkick was soon welcomed as a member of the family.

She had been unsure about Annabelle, however. How would this gigantic robot be around a creature so tiny? The look in his eyes when he held her with his holoform, however, was proof enough to her that he wasn't just a trigger happy soldier. As with Will, Annie already had Ironhide wrapped around her tiny finger.

Annie began to stir as they turned off of the main road, beginning the fifteen minute drive that would finish off their journey. Will had been here once before, when showing the Autobots this place, and he looked forward to seeing what they had done so far with the warehouse and the levels below.

At long last, the behemoth of a warehouse reared its bulk out of the rugged terrein. It would have appeared abandoned, had it not been for the large red and blue Autobot standing in the doorway, looking very much out of place. Otherwise, it seemed unused, the brown steel siding even rusting in places.

The commander of the Autobots stepped back inside the warehouse to allow the vehicles in. It was mostly empty, Will immediately saw, but one section had the stairs and catwalk designed to let them be at optic-level with the Autobots without one of them holding them. The computers were in place, as well, ready for the video conferences that were sure to happen in the future with what they were planning.

Will watched as all the vehicles came to a stop, Bumblebee hanging back with Sam and Mikaela. Defense Secretary John Keller stepped out of one of the black SUVs, well dressed for the first in-person meeting in several months, and approached the tall Autobot as the Major helped his wife get their daughter out of Ironhide. Said black mech waited until the car seat was out before transforming, various soldiers murmuring in awe as they witnessed their first transformation. Blue optics soon surveyed the area, seeing and hearing what the humans could not.

Will turned his attention to Optimus Prime and Keller. Optimus was kneeling as a courtesy, and the SecDef had stopped, nodding smartly in greeting. "It's good to see you again, Prime."

Optimus nodded back, more slowly. "And you, Mr. Secretary. Welcome to our new home. I trust everyone had a safe journey?"

"Yes, thank you."

Will looked around, tuning the conversation out for a moment. It was simple pleasantries, and he was curious where the new bots were. "Ironhide, where is everyone?"

The mech made a small rumbling sound. "Below. Primus help them if they've forgotten about this." He paused, then, gave an obvious twitch, and turned to Sarah, giving her a gentle nudge. "Go join Sam and Mikaela in Bumblebee, Sarah Lennox. I fear it will not be entirely safe for you and Annabelle out here in less than a breem."

Will frowned, slightly worried at that. "Why, what's wrong, Ironhide?"

The black mech gave a low rumble again, directing his attention to the elevator on the other side of the warehouse. "Ratchet just sent a broadcast. He is not happy."

A glance at Optimus revealed that he, too, had halted his conversation, and was watching the elevator. _Is he smiling?_ the soldier wondered, but followed the Autobots' examples.

He wasn't sure how long everyone waited. The soldiers had all picked up on the mechs' sudden shift of focus, and everyone stared at the elevator, many growing restless with the passing seconds.

Then Ironhide jerked his helm around to stare at Optimus. "They did _WHAT_?!"

The hatch next to the elevator banged open, revealing a large air duct. Two speeding forms came out, and a large yellow and black mech turned and replaced the cover as his red and black companion waited anxiously. "Hurry up!" the red one urged, and turned to face the open warehouse door.

Blue optics blinked in confusion at all the staring faces, then both the red and yellow mechs twitched, the situation finally setting in. "Run!" the red one told them, his voice filled with terror. "Hatchet's on the warpath!"

Will stared in incredulity at the two newcomers. "Hatchet?" he muttered.

It was Optimus' turn to rumble, a growl of his engine calling attention to himself. "Sideswipe, Sunstreaker!" he barked. "Front and center."

Having just begun a dash for the door, the new Autobots screeched to a halt and looked at each other, obviously on edge. Then, as one, they twitchily went to stand in front of their commander, mindful of the humans on the floor.

The red one spoke up before Optimus could say anything else, raising his hands in a stopping gesture. "We swear, we didn't do it!"

The yellow one nodded, sending wary glances toward the elevator. "Yeah, not this time!" he added, obviously trying to not sound as afraid as he really was. Something had him ticked, though, and the growl was plain as day.

Will felt a little sorry for these two at the look being sent their way. "And what, pray tell, are you supposed to have done?" Optimus asked, unrelenting in that gaze.

The red one, whom Will deduced was Sideswipe, threw his hands up in a "You expect me to know?" shrug. "Not a clue, boss-man!"

Sunstreaker nodded his assent. "It's too early to get Ratchet the Hatchet mad at us with a prank. We're not that suicidal!"

"Besides, _we _remembered what was going on today!"

Will blinked at the nickname. Ratchet the Hatchet? Dare he ask why?

Suddenly, he was very glad Ironhide had thought to usher Sarah to the safety of Bumblebee.

Noise from the elevator summoned everyone's attention. An entirely different mech than they expected stepped out of the elevator, the strange projections from his head flashing in an aggravated manner. "Wheeljack!" a small voice was saying. "Calm down! The idea is to make a stealthy escape, not to make Ratchet suspicious at your hurry to leave. Though, he is a terror, I'll admit now."

The fins flashed pink. "It's kinda pointless now," the white, red, and green mech told whatever he held hidden in his hands, his tone carrying a hint of embarrassment.

There was tangible silence for a moment as everyone stared at the newcomer, looks of realization dawning on the red and yellow mechs' faceplates. Then, "You didn't."

Wheeljack shuffled nervously, not yet noticing the crowd, and the female voice gasped. "Wheeljack! I told you not to use it! It's one of your creations, you know, and very distinctive! He'd _know_ it was you and not the twins!"

Will blinked. Twins?

He watched as Wheeljack looked up and noticed them all for the first time. The scientist he had heard brief mentions of hurried to Optimus, shoving something toward him. "Take her," he said urgently. "Don't let her down, for her own sake."

The Major was becoming increasingly confused. There were only a few things that he could know for certain about this situation, and that was: 1) These two new mechs were named Sunstreaker and Sideswipe, and they were being blamed for doing something that made Ratchet furious enough to terrify them. 2) There were twins here, but he could only assume it was this Sunstreaker and Sideswipe. 3) This other mech, Wheeljack, had done something to Ratchet. The thing that got blamed on the supposed twins, perhaps? 4) Optimus and Ironhide were amused and wary at the same time. 5) Ratchet mad was apparently a Very Bad Thing. 6) There was a human girl in Optimus' hands, she knew about the Autobots, she had a part in whatever Wheeljack had done, and the Autobots hadn't told any of them anything about this.

Will watched, dumbfounded, as Optimus cupped the owner of the female voice in his hands, either forgetting about their audience or ignoring them in favor of getting answers. "What did you two do?" the commander of the Autobots rumbled wearily.

Wheeljack shushed the person in his leader's hands before she could say anything. "It's entirely my fault, sir. Punishment should be placed on me, and not her."

The unseen girl gave a loud snort. "Ha! I was the one who got the idea in your head by asking you to help me! I'm just as much at fault, Optimus, though I must admit I can claim no responsibility for the paint bomb. I _told_ him not to use it!"

Optimus looked alarmed. "Paint bomb?"

Wheeljack seemed sheepish, the projections on his helm flashing pink again in embarrassment. "Well-"

The elevator doors opened again, cutting off the scientist's words. Ratchet emerged, looking livid as he stalked toward the gathered mechs, the human personel quickly clearing a path for him. Will had to admit he looked quite funny with large pink splatters all over his yellow form – or would have, had he not looked so murderous.

Ratchet didn't make a sound as he stopped in front of the guilty mech, optics boring imaginary holes in his armor. Will would be the first to say that this was more terrifying than if the medic was bellowing like he obviously had been earlier. The SecDef wisely stood out of the way, making sure Optimus was between him and the medic.

"_You_."

The word was hissed, and Wheeljack cringed. "Okay, so I admit that putting the paint bomb in your quarters wasn't the brightest of moves."

Ratchet's optics were blazing in his fury. "It's not enough that the twins put thinner-than-paper plastic sheets all over the lower half of my med bay door, but you had to pull a prank yourself?!"

"Hey!" It was the girl again, and Will watched in astonishment as a brunette head struggled to make itself seen from where Optimus was so clearly trying to hide it. "The twins had nothing to do with that!" she continued, finally getting into a position where she could be seen after Optimus gave into her wishes. He still kept her cupped in his hands, but she was better seen, now, though still protected.

Wheeljack's earfins flashed in alarm. "Katherine!"

"Prankster's pride, Wheeljack." Katherine, as she was called, crossed her arms, defiant. Ratchet's rage faltered as he looked at her, and Will had no idea what was going through his CPU in his obvious shock. "Plus, I'd feel guilty for the twins getting punished for something I did and that was mine and Vor's idea."

There was an obvious twitch in all the Autobots except Bumblebee, who gave a questioning tone, even Ironhide making a strangled sort of sound.

Ratchet's optics were wide, as were Wheeljack's, the twins', and Optimus'. "Vor?" he choked out, and Will wondered what the significance of the name was.

Katherine shrugged. "She was bored, I was bored, Wheeljack was bored. She suggested I prank you, 'cause I wasn't in the mood to play video games or get on my laptop. I, uh, kinda forgot what was happening today. If I had remembered, believe me, I'd have waited until a better time."

Optics narrowed at her. "You still would have pranked me?"

She grinned cheerily. "You betcha. So, what's the punishment for the saran wrap on the door?"

Ratchet didn't seem to know what to do about that. Finally, he sighed. "I'll think about it for you. Wheeljack, you will scrub my quarters _spotless_, got it? With your holoform, with _this_!" He rounded on the scientist, bristling, and produced a toothbrush, hard to see due to its size in comparison with the medic.

Will winced in sympathy and turned to Ironhide, shaking his head. "Remind me to never be around when he's pranked. Now, who _is_ that, and what's she doing here?"

All eyes and optics turned to the Major, who stood with his hands on his hips, uncaring about the attention. He was focused on Ironhide, and getting answers.

Ironhide looked at a loss for what to do. "This was not how she was supposed to be introduced."

"Spectacular. Now start talking, big guy."

Helpless, Ironhide sent what Will could only figure was a plaintive glance toward his leader. The girl interrupted before Optimus could say anything.

"I'm Kate," she told them, having the grace to look embarrassed. "Or Katherine, if you prefer to be more formal like some of these guys. Explanations, I think, are better left for a little later, when we're in a secure place. Optimus, where's Jazz?"

The silver mech quickly emerged through the doors to the outside, making a beeline to the young human. "I'm here," he assured her. He gave Will a cheeky grin as he passed, clearly enjoying how out of sorts the humans were. Ironhide shook his head, the chuckles a low rumble. "Hiding from Ratchet, Jazz?"

"Pit, yes," the short bot answered, laughing. "I didn't name him the Hatchet for nothing, you know."

The girl, Kate, eagerly changed hands, grinning up at the lieutenant. "I should have asked you for help. Vor said Wheeljack wasn't busy, though, and that you were."

Jazz winked. "Don't ya worry, Katie-girl. We'll team up next time. Ya know, ya should've put glue on the plastic wrap."

Kate shook her head violently. "Nuh-uh. That might've incapacitated him, and then how would he be able to fix your afts?"

"Good point."

A throat was cleared, and everyone looked at Keller, the frowning Secretary of Defense. "Gentlemen?" he prompted. "Would anyone care to explain this?"

Looks were exchanged, but Kate took over once more. "Why don't we all go downstairs, sir? Then we can talk without worrying about Decepticons listening in."

Optimus nodded. "An excellent idea, Katherine. If those in command would care to follow us to the elevator . . .?"

Will nodded absently, heading toward Bumblebee to collect his wife and daughter. His mind was spinning with this new development, trying to guess the reasons behind Kate's presence and why they were not told.

_Then again, Optimus did ask us to wait until today to come, saying there was a new arrival to acclimate. Maybe it was this Kate?_

Bumblebee transformed eagerly as soon as everyone was out. As Ironhide came over, he chirped in excitement. "Is that her?"

Ironhide nodded. "It is. She wants to play against you in video games sometime. Sunstreaker is almost as good, but you've been playing longer, and might pose more of a challenge to her."

Will scowled at his guardian. "You guys _were_ planning on telling us about her, right?"

"Of course. We were just going to ease you into the idea is all. Then she had to go and pull a moronic stunt like that . . . Pranking Ratchet! You can't get loonier than that. Part of me wonders if she actually _is_ insane."

Sarah smiled, already going into mother hen mode as she picked up on his concern. "I'll make sure he doesn't go too harsh on her. Don't you worry, Ironhide."

Bumblebee picked up his silent but curious charges and let them climb onto his shoulders. "She feels familiar somehow, though."

Ironhide nodded. "You will find out soon. Come, Will and Sarah Lennox. Optimus and the others are waiting."

Will nodded, helping Sarah climb into Ironhide's outstretched hand with Annabelle. As long as they were going to get answers, he supposed he could wait a few more minutes . . .

* * *

**Edited 5-3-10**


	19. Chapter 19: Hello, Fellow Humans

Thank you for reviewing, **darkfairy765**, **Fourth Remnant**, **Senri Shiki Fan**, **Riku's Music Lover**, **autobotgirl12328**, **whitedino**, **kimmay94**, **Munchkin**, **Trickster91**, and **Pyra Sanada**! Sorry it took so long, but my muse stalled.

**Senri--** Thank you! Blastbeat it is. ^_^

**Munchkin--** Wheeljack helped Kate put saran wrap on the bottom half of the med bay door. When Ratchet exited, supposedly he ran into it, and tangled him up enough so he tripped. XD Then, for some reason, he went to his quarters, and Wheeljack's paint bomb went off, spraying him and his room with pink paint. XD

This chapter was a monster. Sorry if it moves a little fast. My thoughts bounce randomly sometimes, and since I didn't have a specified idea for what exactly I wanted in it, it kept trying to get out of control. Finally, I ended it there. :-P Translations for Spanish are at the end . . .

* * *

_**Chapter Nineteen – Hello, Fellow Humans**_

"So! Everyone's here, I suppose. Umm . . . do you mind if we do introductions first?" Kate grinned innocently, stalling for a little bit of time while giving the humans a chance to find out the names of the twins, and vise versa.

Jazz gave her a knowing look. "All right, then. Optimus, sir?"

Optimus nodded, then gestured to the sheepish looking white, red, and green mech, standing off to the side of the rec room. "This is Wheeljack, our resident scientist, and these are Sideswipe and Sunstreaker, front-line warriors and pranksters-extraordinaire."

Ironhide chuckled. "A word of advice to you humans. If Sideswipe has an idea, don't let him rope you into it. It is not worth our wrath."

"Hey! I didn't prank the Hatchet this time, now did I?"

"No, but I've lost count of the times you have."

Kate laughed. "Don't worry, Sideswipe. Next time, we'll join forces."

"Oh, no, you won't." Ratchet scowled down at her, still not at all happy with her recent antics. He was the reason Wheeljack still looked subdued, evidenced by the dent in his helm. The wrench hitting the scientist had scared the humans for a moment before sending them into stunned disbelief, which lasted for a little while before thoughts turned to other things. "You do enough damage as it is."

Kate put her hands on her hips and stuck her tongue out at the medic. "And just how would you propose to keep me from doing that?"

Ratchet's optics narrowed as he leaned closer. "You're already looking at no video games for two weeks, Katherine. Don't make me up it to four."

"What?!" Kate's jaw dropped, her eyes wide in horror. "But-" She cut herself off, grinning evilly at her next thought. "You know, you found out not long ago that me and Vor bored is a bad thing. I can get _awfully_ bored without video games . . ."

Ratchet let out a low growl. "That's blackmail."

"That's the truth. Now, _should_ I put glue on the saran wrap next time?"

"Do so, and you will find yourself in the brig, young one."

Kate laughed. "Relax, Ratchet. I stand by what I said to Jazz earlier. I wouldn't dare to ever do that. I will not compromise your ability to move around easily for the sake of some fun. I'm not _that_ evil, and you need to move around to fix these guys if they get damaged."

A throat being cleared broke them out of their confrontation, and Kate blushed. "Sorry," she muttered.

Optimus gave a long-suffering sigh. "Your punishment will be discussed later, Katherine. In the meantime, will you allow me to continue with introductions?"

She nodded, embarrassed. "Uh-huh. For Sides', Sunny's, and Wheeljack's sakes. I think I know who everyone is."

Optimus nodded, then gestured to each slightly confused human in turn. "Katherine, Autobots, this is Defense Secretary John Keller."

Kate shook the offered hand, grinning at the look of confusion the SecDef still bore. His expression was well schooled, but she could still see it. "It's an honor to meet you, Mr. Secretary."

"Major William Lennox and his wife, Sarah Lennox, with their daughter, Annabelle."

Again, she shook the adults' hands, smiling happily. Next were Air Force Tech Sergeant Robert Epps, Samuel Witwicky, and Mikaela Banes. Then came the last one.

Optimus gestured to the final soldier, introducing him. "And this is Jorge Figueroa, another member of Major Lennox's team."

The Latino grinned down at her, obviously pleased to see a new face. "Hey, _chica_! _¿Cómo usted está haciendo? ¿Está el _Autobots_ que toma el buen cuidado de usted?_"

Kate's mind froze for a moment as she stared at him, trying to sort out what all was just said. Before Epps or Lennox could jump in, however, she startled everyone by grinning back. "_Estoy haciendo bien, gracias. Y _Jazz _y los otros han sido vigilantes muy abundantes. Soy muy feliz aquí. Son la mejor familia que un huérfano podría esperar, si uno ignora la rabia del doctor._"

Upon glancing at the others, she discovered all the humans were staring at them, and her grin grew. "Holy crap," Epps murmured, softening the terms for her sake. "She speaks his language."

Jazz, however, found something else to be surprised at. "You're an orphan?"

Kate blinked. Had she just said that?

Yes, she had.

Vor explained even as she began to wonder why this revelation was so important. _You had forgotten, dearie. _It seemed, even after remembering who she was, the All Spark still liked to call her that. _In the midst of all the traumatic events you were going through, you twisted their deaths from when you were twelve to feeling they had abandoned you and didn't care as you grew older, with your brother dying and you getting kidnapped. You buried the truth in your fear, and your anguish and agony. _

Kate wondered whether she was supposed to blush in embarrassment or pale in horror. _How do you know this?_ she asked, however, trying to ignore the stares she was getting from those who didn't know what was going on. Vor answered this immediately.

_I've been with you since you were eight, even if I wasn't able to communicate with you yet. Remember, I aided you in burying these memories, an act I regret now that I've seen where it's led you. You can no longer afford to live in a lie, Katherine. Soon, you will remember, because you must. And soon, you will tell them, because you must. If I have to, I will force you to do it._

"So very comforting," Kate muttered aloud, feeling horrible.

She got strange looks for that, but ignored them in favor of the silver Autobot now hugging her. After a moment of uncomfortable silence, Keller spoke up. "I apologize for interrupting, but we were promised an explanation?"

Kate felt herself being passed to a familiar yellow and black scout, his cooing noises relaxing and reassuring her. Vor channeled the feeling of Bumblebee's spark to her, the warm presence calming the girl as she pressed her ear to his chest, hearing the beat of the fuel pump and feeling his spark's pulse in tandem. So much like a human heart . . .

She heard Jazz begin to tell the humans his side of the story, including the conversation on the way there where the subject of the movie was brought up. They didn't seem to know what to think about that, but Kate didn't care right now. Bumblebee was scanning her, the connection to Vor allowing her to feel it as a slight tingle passed through her.

Kate drew back slightly, peering up at his face as he chittered in confusion. As they weren't actual words, Vor didn't need to provide a translation, but the questioning tone was enough for her to catch on to what he was curious about. "It's not me," she murmured, smiling.

That seemed to confuse him even more. Grinning, she beckoned him down to where she could whisper in his ear, and told him the juicy little secret.

Bumblebee jerked back, yelping in surprise, and Kate doubled over in laughter even as everyone else, the explanation finished, turned to look. "Even better in person," she gasped, recalling the holos of the other mechs. Getting her breathing back under control, she turned to Jazz, grinning. "You should show him the others' reactions."

Bumblebee's vocalizer clicked rapidly as he turned to the silver mech. "Is it true, Jazz?"

Jazz smirked. "Yep! Man, you shoulda seen yer face!"

Keller frowned, finger raised in a "Wait a moment" gesture. "Another thing left out, gentlemen?"

Kate looked up at Jazz, hands on her hips again. "You didn't tell them?"

"Was gonna let you. Mentioned that you had a voice in your head named Vor, but didn't say anything else about that."

Kate nodded, confirming she had heard him, and turned to look at the humans. Confusion was the most prominent emotion displayed, although Mrs. Lennox was starting to get that mother look to her. True, she had it already, with Annabelle in her arms, but Kate could tell it was starting to be geared toward her as well. "Did you tell them I was a victim of kidnap?" she asked.

"Naturally."

She hummed, noting the way the humans reacted to her words. They had all stiffened, the soldiers and the mother most of all. As she glanced at the Autobots, however, she noticed that their expressions, too, had darkened, Bumblebee trilling worriedly. Sighing, she rolled her eyes. By now, this was starting to get old, although it was nice to have people be worried about her. "Oh, bugger off, guys. It's over and done with, and I'm clear across the country from the pervert. _Anywho_, back to the point at hand. We were about to talk about Vor."

Lennox cleared his throat. "Maybe you should tell us about your kidnappers first."

"I don't really remember all that much about them, or what they did, or why they kidnapped me. If Ratchet ever tells you what my injuries are, don't tell me, please. I don't want to know."

"How can you not remember?"

"Purposeful amnesia. I asked Vor to help me forget, and she blocked the memories. She started making me remember a few days ago, just before I found out that those I thought were fiction were, in fact, very real."

Epps frowned. "You talk like you think this 'Vor' is alive."

Kate had to grin in anticipation. "Well, considering that she's the All Spark, I'd say I have the right to."

"Say _WHAT?!_"

A clamor broke out even as Kate clapped her hands over her ears. Well, it wasn't so much a clamor as it was sudden cries of shock and disbelief. Fig looked more believing than the others, and Sarah seemed utterly confused. Keller was stunned, quite obviously so, and the two remaining soldiers were open-mouthed and staring. Mikaela's expression was twisted up in disbelief, and Sam, though clearly uncertain, was floored by the possibility.

Kate waited until they had settled down, then scratched at her head. "I know it sounds outlandish. I know it doesn't seem plausible. Heck, I didn't believe it at first. Having her talking to me in a very sentient way for two years, however, has made me more open to the idea, just as finding out the Autobots are real has. My dreams aren't so much my nightmares, anymore, either. Vor – the All Spark – has been split between two dimensions for nine years. She's still sorting memories out, and that's leaking into my dreams." Seeing their uncomprehending expressions, she sighed, then sat down on Bumblebee's offered hand. For the next several minutes, she regaled them with her perspective of the events leading up to that day, mentioning in brief her family's visit to Hoover Dam when she was eight. There wasn't much she could tell them about her kidnapping ordeal, or the whole mess with the dimensions, but she did her best. "Vor's still trying to figure out what happened. Until she does, we won't know."

They all sat in silence as the information was digested, having taken seats on the couches or the floor. Kate squirmed uncomfortably after the first minute, and Bumblebee trilled softly. After smiling up at him, Kate looked for Jazz, who quickly settled down next to her, correctly interpreting her uneasy, pleading look. At this point, he was her harbor in the stormy sea of questions, even though Bumblebee still provided a measure of comfort.

Sam was the first to speak, which was both surprising and not. His question, however, was actually exactly what Kate had expected from him.

"Is she mad at me?"

Kate let out a laugh even as Vor's echoed in her mind. "Heck, no! If anything, she's grateful." Her expression softening, Kate smiled at the young man. "You helped her actually do something useful. For millennia, she was helpless to do anything, buried in the side of a mountain. For decades, she had to bear the close presence of the one who wished to use her for evil. She lived in constant fear of his awakening. When you guys brought her to Mission City, she could feel her end in this dimension coming. In me, in another dimension, she would be inaccessible, especially since Vor was amnesic until a few days ago. She did what she could, protecting Jazz's spark for his resurrection, but there wasn't much else she could do until the end. That release of energy onto the street was accidental. But when you acted on instinct, holding the cube up to Megatron's spark, that alone wouldn't have done much. The All Spark made the choice to sacrifice herself to kill him. The shard remaining was a welcome relief to her, and she knew that with it, Jazz could be brought back. Then the fragment . . . I don't really know yet what happened with that, but that's where her consciousness resided in this dimension before Vor and I were brought back."

More confusion. "Brought back?" Mikaela asked.

"Apparently I'm originally from this dimension or whatever."

Epps and the others frowned. "I don't get it."

Kate had to grin, fully agreeing with him. "To tell you the truth, I don't, either. But again, Vor's still figuring things out. Say, where are those two geeks of yours?" At their blank looks, she sighed. "Computer nerds? Signal analyst and computer hacker? The advisor and her advisor?"

Comprehension dawned at the second set of terms, and Keller nodded. "Ms. Madsen and Mr. Whitmann. They're upstairs, but they should be joining us shortly."

"Sweet." Kate did her best to tamp down on her excitement, although she knew some shone through. She had been telling the truth when she said that, out of all the humans, she had wanted to meet Lennox and Mikaela the most, the girl for more practical reasons. After all, what abduction-prone person wouldn't want to know how to pick locks? Maggie and Glen, however, were ranked a very close third and fourth, purely because she was a "computer expert," and they were, too.

Optimus called attention back to himself. "Are there any more questions on this subject at this moment?" he asked. Heads were shaken, and he hummed quietly. Whatever he would have said next never got a chance to make itself known, though, as a deep rumble sounded beneath them.

Everyone exchanged startled glances. "What was that?" Lennox asked, concerned for his wife and daughter.

"I'm not sure," Optimus answered, alarmed. "Wheeljack promised not to experiment any today, and with that prank, I don't see how he would have had the time to break that promise."

Wheeljack sputtered indignantly. "I never break a promise! And I'll have you know I was working on the computer plans this morning before Kit came in."

Kate frowned. "Green light means on, right?"

"Yes . . . Why?"

The girl thought hard. "Well, you were tinkering with something yesterday, and I saw a green light on some thingamabobber when I stopped by this morning."

_The solar energy collector,_ Vor supplied helpfully.

"Right, the solar energy collector."

Ratchet scowled. "You were forbidden to ever go near that place, if you'll recall."

"Well, he wasn't supposed to be tinkering today, so Vor figured it was safe!"

The medic sighed. "Primus help me if the All Spark decides something is safe for you and it turns out not to be . . ."

Wheeljack was frowning when Kate turned back to him. "But it's on the third level. I wouldn't have turned it on. Although, there was that time I bumped against it . . ." His optics widened, and his earfins flashed a bright red in alarm. "Oh, slag!"

A stunned silence followed in the scientist's wake as he fled the room, transforming into his Silverado form to get there faster. Optimus broke this with a sigh, turning to the twins. "Sunstreaker, Sideswipe, go assist Wheeljack in the cleanup, and help him assess the damage."

The twins nodded, transformed, and disappeared. Appreciative looks were sent at their altmodes, but otherwise, the humans were still quite dumfounded. Finally, Fig spoke. "Yo, dudes . . . _¿Qué sucedió?_"

As the Autobots floundered for words to say, Kate snickered. "Wheeljack's inventions and experiments sometimes explode. As to why the floor didn't crumble, apparently he's reinforced the entire base in the past four months. Something about nanites and metal alloys or whatever. The walls up here only look concrete, while inside, they're actually some special material that's only useful in these circumstances. Not at all appropriate for armor, unfortunately. This level just has the concrete shell to make it more human-looking, I guess."

There were confounded looks all around. "How'd you-" began Ratchet, but he stalled.

Kate grinned. "Wheeljack told me. I did hang out with him this morning, remember."

Immediately, the CMO's eyes narrowed. "Yes, and we will still discuss that, young lady."

In response, Kate blew a raspberry.

"Oh, that is _it_! Three weeks, you little twerp! And you're cleaning up all that saran wrap you put on the lower half of my med bay door!"

Kate saluted. "Aye-aye, captain! Hey, can we get golf carts?"

Ratchet froze at the sudden subject change. "What?"

"Golf carts! Or some small vehicle so I don't have to rely on you guys to get everywhere while you're busy. I can drive, in case you're wondering."

"I . . ." Ratchet turned to Optimus for help. Chuckling, the commander nodded. "It is an excellent idea, Katherine. Now, settle down, please, so that we may get on with whatever business is necessary."

Jazz gave her a poke. "Means, quit antagonizing the Hatchet, ya silly girl. Were ya a 'bot, you'd have a dent in yer helm by now, femme or not."

Kate grinned back at him. "You do it all the time."

"Not _all_ the time."

"Ha!" the medic scoffed.

"Autobots," came the low, reprimanding rumble. Despite having done nothing, even Ironhide and Bumblebee snapped to, Kate safely cradled in the scout's hand. She let out a squeak at the slight movement, and immediately blushed. Muttering an apology, she looked sheepishly up at the tall commander.

Vor snickered at her. _Settle down does not mean argue with the musician._

_He was asking for it,_ she returned, smirking at the thought.

_Even so, sit and listen. You must be my eyes and ears in this meeting._

_I have to sit through _this_?! _Her mild horror and disappointment must have been expressed on her face, for Jazz gave her another gentle prodding. "Everything coo'?"

"No," she groaned. "I can't be a normal teenage girl and leave the politics to the grown-ups. Vor wants me to stay here, watch, and listen."

Jazz held out his hand, and she scrambled into it from Bumblebee's. "The price of command. Don' worry, though. We're all stuck in the meeting, too!"

"Mrs. Lennox isn't. Mikaela isn't. Sam isn't. Sides and Sunny aren't, and neither is Wheeljack."

Ratchet chuckled. "Wheeljack and the Twin Terrors will be listening even as they clean up the mess in Wheeljack's lab. Sam, Mikaela, and Sarah Lennox are welcome to stay if they wish, though it is not necessary. You are the host of the All Spark, and although we have gone millennia without her input, it would be appreciated if she could finally supply her opinion. We would be grateful if you would give her that chance."

Kate thought about that, her gaze flickering between each of the others. Keller looked dubious, as did Lennox, but the latter seemed to accept it more. The rest took it in stride, content to let the Autobots figure this out. There was still the level of doubt about her and the All Spark, but she understood that. It wasn't as if she could expect them to accept it in the space of ten minutes.

As for herself, she didn't mind at all helping Vor and the Autobots. If anything, it made her feel useful. The only problem was, she had the distinct feeling it would get incredibly boring.

She nodded in agreement. "I wasn't about to refuse. Just hope you don't regret it, Vor."

_Yeah, yeah . . . Now pipe down, it's time to start._

Kate made herself comfortable on Jazz's hand, mind focused on the upcoming meeting. She suspected Vor had something to do with her sudden attentiveness, but she dismissed the thought. She didn't mind all that much, and at least she wasn't focused on the thoughts her recounting had brought up. She preferred they remained buried, at least until she could concentrate enough to deal with them.

Then the geeks came in.

* * *

**Edited 5-3-10**

**

* * *

**

_**Translations:**_

"Hey, _chica_! _¿Cómo usted está haciendo? ¿Está el Autobots que toma el buen cuidado de usted?_"

(Hey, girl! How are you doing? Are the Autobots taking good care of you?)

"_Estoy haciendo bien, las gracias. Y _Jazz _y el otro han sido vigilantes muy abundantes. Soy muy feliz aquí. Son la mejor familia que un huérfano podría esperar, si uno ignora la rabia del doctor."_

("I am doing well, thanks. And Jazz and the other have been very abundant watchmen. I am very happy here. They are the best family than an orphan could wait for, if one ignores the rage of the doctor.")

[note: "abundant" is supposed to imply "generous." "Watchmen" was "caretakers," or something of the sort. "Wait" was changed from "hope," but it has the same general idea. It took a while for me to figure out an arrangement of English words that got close to the right Spanish ones. Since the languages are structured differently, and English has more words, they are not directly translatable. Each time I translated it back to the other language, I got a different result, until it settled on what you see here. :-P]

"_¿Qué sucedió?_"

("What happened?")


	20. Chapter 20: Identity of Ghost

Thanks for reviewing, **kimmay94**, **scottiedog**, **Rainxul**, **Fourth Remnant**, and **Cara-Shrane**!

I love the last part of this chapter. This is one of the scenarios I had planned from the beginning, though not quite like this. And we find something else out about Kate in the first part!

Sorry it's so short. I thought that was a good place to end it, and next chapter will most likely be with them all watching the movie. Hope you enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter Twenty – Identity of Ghost**_

Maggie and Glen's reactions were about what Kate expected. Upon being told she was the host of the All Spark's being, in essence, Glen stammered dumbly before breaking down into the quiet laughter of one who thought they were going insane. Maggie was stunned and unresponsive for a few moments, then gave a simple, "Huh."

Kate grinned. "Just 'huh'?"

"Kate, I deal regularly nowadays with giant alien mechs." Maggie smiled. "Rather than trying to wrap my head around it, I'm just focusing on the fact that it is, and we'll leave it at that."

Vor's pleased feeling echoed Kate's own, and she nodded. "Okay, then."

Optimus waited until one of the others snapped Glen out of his stupor, then started the meeting. Keller introduced the concept of NEST, Networked Elements: Supporters and Transformers, and there was some discussion on that for a while. Basically, it would be a task force targeting Decepticons. Kate and Vor were intrigued by the idea, and lent their approval. Soon, however, it turned to the subject of damage control.

Lennox leaned forward in his seat. His wife and Mikaela had left the room at the beginning, going to prepare food for those there. "And what about those videos showing the Autobots and Decepticons? How are we going to deal with those?"

Glen shrugged, in his element on this question. "Pretty sure we could delete them pretty easily."

"Just like that? Snap, and it's deleted?"

Kate grinned. "Well, it's a bit more complex than that, but for those in the know, it is rather simple."

All eyes turned to her. "How do you know?" Epps asked.

"I'm a computer expert," she answered vaguely.

Maggie tilted her head, curious. "Self-taught, or did you have a teacher?"

Kate's grin grew in anticipation. While only one person would get the reference, she knew his reaction would be worth it. She had been wondering how to bring this up, and now was as good a time as any. "I had a teacher. My brother introduced me to him, and he's like a second sibling to me."

"Yeah?" Lennox laced his fingers behind his head. "What's his name?"

"Well, I can't remember his real name right now, but in certain circles, he's known as . . . Phantom."

Everyone turned to Glen as he nearly fell out of his chair. "_Phantom_?!" His voice squeaked. "Your teacher is the _Phantom_?! Wait . . . You're Ghost!"

Jazz frowned. "That's her username on the X-Box. What's its significance, and who's this Phantom?"

Kate suddenly found the metal of Jazz's hand very interesting. "I'm sorry, Jazz. I never lied to you guys. I just . . . left certain things out. It's not that I don't trust you," she was quick to assure him, her connection to Vor allowing her to feel the twinge of hurt from her friend. "I trust you with my life, and all my secrets. It's just . . . I didn't know how to tell you about this one. Then I figured I could kill two Decepticons with one rocket, and surprise Glen in the process."

Jazz smiled at her, the forgiveness clear. "It's okay, Katie-girl. You still didn't answer the question, though."

She shifted her weight slightly, thinking about her words before she spoke. "I am a computer expert. I know lines of code and binary like I do English and Cybertronian. Yes, I can understand it, thanks to Vor. I can hack into most anything, but I've only really had one practical application of those skills. I changed my grade in one of my classes once from an A-minus to a B-plus."

Ratchet frowned in confusion. "Why did you lower your grade?"

"Because the teacher forgot to mark a couple of questions wrong." Kate shrugged. "She was on sick leave the rest to the year, so I had no way to tell her."

"Let me get this straight." Keller stood up and began to pace. "You're a hacker."

"Yes, sir."

"And this Phantom? He's a hacker, too?"

"The best ever," Glen answered for her. "He's a legend! And Phantom is a perfect name for him, just like Ghost is for Kate. Neither of them have ever been caught, so until now, no one ever knew who either of them were. Ghost was known as the second best among those on the web, ever since a few years ago, and the mysterious protégé of Phantom."

Epps laughed. "Guess they were right."

Kate looked imploringly up at the Autobots. "I was going to tell you. I promise. I just . . . didn't know how."

Optimus knelt to bring himself closer to her level. Kate relaxed in the feelings Vor channeled to her, and smiled back at the commander. "For the Autobots' part, we forgive you, Katherine."

Jazz brought her closer to himself. "You're still you, Kate. We still trust ya. Besides, if nothing else, this provides a bit of an explanation, maybe some context."

Kate frowned. "Explanation? Context?"

"For why you were kidnapped." The look in Jazz's optics softened. "I know you don't want to know about your injuries, but . . ." He trailed off, the offer or question clear.

It didn't take long for her to make her decision. "Tell me."

"Are you sure, Katherine?" That was from Ratchet. "Not two hours ago, you said you didn't want to know."

"Of course I'm not sure," she returned sourly. "But since I'm apparently going to be remembering them anyway, I'd rather have some forewarning about what I can expect. Go ahead and tell the twins and Wheeljack, too. They ought to know."

Ratchet studied her for a long moment, no doubt thinking very hard about her words. Then, sighing, he relented. Gently, carefully, he told them what he had told Ironhide and Jazz earlier, including their conclusion that she had been tortured. "We thought it was because they wanted to know something she did," he finished. "Now, I'm leaning toward the idea that either she found something in her web surfing, or that they wanted her to hack something for them."

Kate was silent for a long moment, as was everyone else in the room. Vor had disconnected from her, causing her to no longer be able to feel the Autobots' emotions, and it didn't take a genius to tell that the flickering red in their optics signified a deep, dangerous anger that would have terrified her had she been able to feel it. Mentally, she thanked Vor, knowing that seeing their rage at her unknown kidnappers was more than enough.

Memories stirred, and she was unable to stop a whimper. Strong arms encircled her, and she leaned into Jazz's holoform's embrace. Quite suddenly, she had had enough. "Can I skip out on the rest of the meeting?" she murmured.

Sympathetic, Vor gave her the okay. _One of the Autobots can fill us in later. _

Ratchet waited until she was focussed again, then nodded. "If it helps, doctor's orders. Sarah, Mikaela, would you take Katherine to the kitchen, get her busy? Keep her distracted if you can."

"We'll do that," Sarah agreed. "Come on, Kate, you can watch Annabelle while Mikaela and I fix some food for these guys."

Kate nodded, giving Jazz a small smile as he let her go and turned off his holoform. Then, quite lethargically, she followed the girls from the room.

Several silent minutes later, Kate settled herself on one of the stools at the island in the kitchen. Sarah and Mikaela exchanged glances, and Kate suddenly found that she was holding something in her arms.

She looked down, an expression of wonder dawning on her face. Annabelle stared back, gurgling happily. "Kitty!"

Sarah laughed. "She's already trying to say your name. Looks like she likes you, Kate."

Kate nodded dumbly. She had held a baby once before, but that was when she was young, and she hardly remembered it. Her own emotions and those from Vor had her speechless, and she was sure she would cry if she tried to give voice to these feelings.

Tentatively, she reached out and touched one of the tiny, soft hands. A few seconds later, fragile fingers wrapped around one of her own, and she smiled.

If she could have, Kate would have stared at Annie's face forever, the wonder of holding a young life in her arms a nearly overwhelming feeling. Something made her look up, though, and she was startled to see a video camera being wielded by Mikaela, the red light signaling that she was being recorded.

Sarah laughed. "Something to show the boys later," she told the girl. Kate just smiled, not minding at all. Looking down, she beheld the sight of the baby beginning to fall asleep. A tear welled up, and she didn't try to stop it as it traced its way down her left cheek.

"She never got to hold her children."

Sarah and Mikaela were startled by the remark. Blinking, Sarah regarded Kate curiously. "Pardon?"

Kate looked up again, more tears in her eyes. "Vor. As the All Spark, she could hold their sparks, but not physically. Not like this. She says thank you, Mrs. Lennox, for allowing her this."

A warm smile grew on Sarah's lips. "You're most welcome, both of you. And please, call me Sarah."

"All right . . . Sarah." Kate grinned, then directed her attention back to Annabelle. Smiling, Mikaela set the camera on the counter, making sure it was still pointed directly at the young woman and the baby. Entranced by Annabelle, nothing else of import right now, Kate gave no heed to the recorder, and just watched the child sleep. As quietly as possible, Sarah and Mikaela got to work, leaving the two in peace. And though pots clashed by accident, and the two cringed, Kate remained smiling down at the baby in her arms, and Annabelle slept on.

* * *

**Edited 5-3-10**


	21. Chapter 21: The Puzzle Forming

Thank you so much for reviewing, **Trickster91**, **Indigo Flare**, **Riku's Music Lover**, **autobotgirl12328**, **Fourth Remnant**, **Razzika**, **Eriklover101**,**2GrayBoys**, **Mara**, and **vampgirl16**! Seeing the words "Review Alert" in my inbox is one of the best parts of my day. XD

**Riku's Music Lover--** I'm sure Jazz and Ironhide and the other Autobots would appreciate the help. Just remember, those two get first dibs. XD

**Fourth Remnant--** Well, for one, it gave me an actual reason for her to be kidnapped. XD And it spawned a sequel! *snickers evilly*

And it's an update! I originally wanted to go more in-depth with the movie, but this is how it came out, and I'm satisfied. Did anyone at all connect the dots with Kate's last name?

Added a series title. This is now _Book One of the Ghost Chronicles_! With obvious references to Kate's hacker name, once you've read this far. :-P As a little teaser that won't give away anything about the plot of the next story, the sequel will be named _**Transformers: Keres**_. Feel free to guess what it means, but I won't tell you if you're right or not! You'll just have to wait a while to find out. XD

*grumbles in annoyance* Document Manager won't let me underline the chapter heading . . . Italicized from here on out, I guess!

* * *

_**Chapter Twenty-One – The Puzzle Forming**_

Kate was still holding Annabelle when the men, human and holoform, walked into the kitchen. None could hold in a grin at the look of pure adoration on Kate's face, and especially not Jazz or Ironhide.

Sideswipe stared in wonder at the small life, and Sunstreaker in equal amazement. "What is that?"

Ratchet snorted. "That, twins, is an infant, and it is a she."

Sideswipe looked from doctor to baby and back again. "I didn't know they came so small."

Kate looked up, grinning. "We start out as a single cell, Sides. And this is her at fourteen months. She was even smaller than this when she was born."

Sideswipe leaned a little closer, awestruck. "This is a human sparkling?" he asked, nearly whispering. Sunstreaker held himself back, but he, too, was mesmerized by the small child. Wheeljack was staring, as well, and Kate took notice when Mikaela picked up the video camera and panned it around the room, focussing especially on the three newcomers.

Will chuckled as he watched the Autobots, all of whom were gathering around Kate and Annabelle. Even Ironhide, having been around Annie more than the others, still bore that expression of unconcealed wonder. "Reminds me a little of how I felt when I first held my baby girl. It's amazing how much we humans can take life for granted these days. I can't see how anyone could think that a baby isn't alive in the womb."

Sarah came up and wrapped her arms around him, smiling in a way only a mother could. "I don't, either. And I'm glad we chose to have Annie."

"Yeah, speaking of which, how is that done, exactly?"

All eyes turned to Sideswipe, a sudden silence befalling the kitchen. Only Sunstreaker was just as unaware as Sideswipe was, and their looks were equally incredulous. "What?" Sunstreaker asked, frowning. "It's a simple question."

Kate was blushing profusely. "No . . ." she managed to say, weakly. "No, it isn't."

Will turned to Ratchet. "You're explaining this to him, but later. I don't want them Googling it and seeing something they shouldn't."

Ratchet nodded, one of his eyes beginning to twitch. "Sideswipe," he began, "consider very carefully the question you're asking."

"Okay," came the uncomprehending answer. Sunstreaker's expression was beginning to turn to something akin to horror, however, and it was clear that he, at least, had gotten it.

Ironhide snorted. "Now compare it to asking how Splarklings are made, you idiot."

Understanding came swiftly, and the shade of red on his face clashed horribly with the orangish-red of his hair. "Oh, slag. I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" Palms went up to clap over his eyes, and he repeated his apology several times. Sunstreaker, for his part, looked traumatized. "I don't even want to know," he declared, and shuddered.

Bumblebee, the youngest of the Autobots, also covered his eyes. "Trust me," he groaned, much to the amusement of the humans. "You don't."

At that, Kate could only laugh.

........

A few hours later, Kate popped a certain DVD into the player, a nagging feeling at the back of her mind telling her there was something she was forgetting. Glancing around, she frowned. It wasn't that Annabelle was back with her mother; no, that definitely wasn't it. She and Vor were well aware that she need only ask, and there was a good chance she could hold little Annie again. So what was it, then?

She sighed, giving up. It was probably nothing other than the fact that this movie was something that had actually happened. It showed true events, and every person killed onscreen had been killed in real life in this dimension.

The thought struck her like a ton of bricks. Suddenly, she realized just how real this was, and it scared her.

Jazz came up behind her, a metal digit poking her carefully. "Hey, you okay?"

She turned and latched onto his hand, her eyes distant. "I don't know . . . Can I sit with you and Bumblebee?"

His optics flickered to glance at the DVD player, and his expression turned to that of understanding. "Sure, Kate. Come on."

Jazz took her back to where the bots were gathering and settled down between the two couches, next to Bumblebee. Being the shortest, they were able to take front-row seats, unlike their much taller companions. Kate was placed on his lap, where she turned her grip to his middle, calming herself for the movie ahead._It was all dramatized and CG in the other dimension,_ she reminded herself. _No one actually died in the filming. And yet it shows exactly the events that went on here . . . Stop it, Kate! You're making things worse, not better._

Vor was a comforting presence to her mind, gently soothing her. _It'll be all right. But you must brace yourself, Kate._

_Why, what am I missing?_

_That, you must find out for yourself. Now calm yourself, please. They will not start until you are, and the sooner it is watched, the sooner you can have it over with. Please, it will be okay._

Kate sighed, staring blankly at a patch of silver armor. When she looked up, she discovered Vor had been right. Everyone else was ready, and they were waiting on her.

Beside her and Jazz, Bumblebee trilled worriedly, voicing their concerns. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," she answered. "Or as okay as I'm going to be. Go ahead and start it." She sat up straight, leaning with her back against Jazz's torso.

"I'm ready."

And the movie began.

........

"_Before time began, there was . . . the Cube. We know not where it comes from, only that it holds the power to create worlds and fill them with life. That is how our race was born. For a time, we lived in harmony, but like all great power, some wanted it for good, others for evil._

"_And so began the war, a war that ravaged our planet until it was consumed by death, and the Cube was lost to the far reaches of space. We scattered across the galaxy, hoping to find it and rebuild our home, searching every star, every world. And just when all hope seemed lost, message of a new discovery drew us to an unknown planet called . . . Earth._

"_But we were already too late."_

........

"Wow, boss-man, they got your voice down pat!"

Kate laughed as a chorus of "Shh!" echoed around the room. Poor Sideswipe looked suitably scolded, cowering down for a brief moment. Then she looked away, her smile fading as she turned her attention back to the movie.

The music changed, and the steady thrum of helicopter rotors pounded in her head as the blades chopped at the air, in time with the returned nagging feeling. Vor was silent, but worry for her host had started to make itself known.

Kate smiled at the banter of the on-screen Fig, Epps, and Lennox. Then her eyes caught a familiar face, and she froze.

Her world seemed to stop as she choked on sudden tears. All she heard was a worried "Kate?" which called attention to her before she jumped off of Jazz's leg and fled the room, breezing past confused and concerned mechs.

Jazz's holoform caught her in his arms before she got too far down the corridor, and she broke down then and there, sagging in his hold as she sobbed. "Why, Vor?" she choked out, grief-stricken. "I understand the blocking before, letting me live my life without knowing this, but why didn't you warn me?"

Vor's tone shared with her the deep regret the All Spark held. _Would you have believed me?_

"Yes!" she cried, her voice muffled in Jazz's shoulder. He tightened his hold on her, and she ignored the coming footsteps. "Why, Vor?!"

_Because some things you have to realize on your own, find out on your own. You would not have properly remembered had I just told you._

She grew even more limp as she surrendered to the truth. Vor had warned her, she remembered. But still, that did not make up for the shock and horror she felt. The knowledge that every time she had _enjoyed_ watching the movie, though she felt distinct pain at each major death, she had been watching what were real events in this dimension, and . . .

"Kate?" Jazz sounded scared for her, she realized. With tear-reddened eyes, she peered up at him. His worry only increased with the anguished look on her face. "Kate, what's wrong? What happened?"

She buried her face in his shoulder again. "I watched him die."

"Who?"

"My brother." She returned the hug full-force, trying to block out the memory. As she spoke, she became increasingly distraught. "Keagan. Sergeant Donnelly. I watched him die! Each and every time I saw this movie, I saw as Scorponok . . . Whenever I was too slow to cover my ears, close my eyes . . . I always heard the scream. My brother was murdered by that Decepticon and I didn't even _know_!"

Jazz held her close, arms wrapped tightly but not uncomfortably around her. No one, it seemed, knew what to say, and she _felt_ the sorrow from the others, Vor's connection to her bridging the gap to the Autobots. Then a hand settled on her shoulder, and she peeked up to see the three soldiers from that day in Qatar standing there, with Lennox being the one to give her the comforting touch. They were brothers, she realized, in that odd recognition. They had been brothers-in-arms to Keagan, and she knew somehow that familial bond had automatically extended to her.

Lennox sighed heavily. "I'm so sorry, Kate. I-"

She hid again. "There wasn't anything you could have done. I've seen the movie enough times to know that. It just hurts. I never got over it, really. I just had other things to worry about with being kidnapped." Jazz shifted, a hand moving to gently rub her back, and her eyes stared blankly over his white-clad shoulder at the concrete wall as she finally was able to talk about it. "It happened differently in the other dimension. Al-Quaida terrorists attacked his company in Afganistan. I was kidnapped at about the same time, so I didn't find out until I got back. By then, it had already been a month. A month after that, the kidnappers tried to kill me. Everyone just assumed that I tried to kill myself in my grief. I guess that's partially my fault, since I had Vor block out all the bad memories. I never told anyone anything . . ."

Jazz's hand stilled, then went to the back of her head. "We're here for you, Kate. All of us are."

She nodded numbly. "I have to wonder . . . if the kidnappers even exist here as they did in the other dimension. A lot of things are different. Some things are the same, but others . . . There was no William Lennox, instead there was that one actor. Megan Fox, not Mikaela Banes. Shia LaBeouf, not Samuel Witwicky. Afganistan and terrorists, not Qatar and a Decepticon. A movie, and not the real thing . . . I stole someone's life, and someone lived mine. Did she go through the same things I did? How is she handling her new life? Is she even now locked up in some mental hospital or starving to death on the side of that highway? I-"

Someone flicked her head, and she was startled into giving an annoyed glare to Ratchet, whose holoform frowned down at her, his arms crossed. "This is your life," he told her. "Thinking about the other Katherine Donnelly is a useless endeavor. You may think it matters, but it does not. What does matter is that you are here now, and this is the state of things. What's done is done, and there is no going back. The most anyone can do is go forward."

"But go forward into what?" she asked plaintively. "I don't know if my parents are alive in this dimension, or anything about Phantom . . ."

Ratchet's gaze softened, and Optimus Prime's holoform stepped forward. As she looked around, she realized all her new friends were right here, supporting her. Sideswipe, Sunstreaker . . . Even the SecDef was present, looking older than he really was with the sympathy. They were all here for her . . .

Optimus smiled. "You will always have here to return to. You will always have a place among us. Not because of the All Spark, but because of yourself. Because you are our friend."

The words chased away the shadow, and she smiled, blinking back tears. Leaning her head against Jazz's shoulder, she closed her eyes. "Thank you," she murmured.

"To me, that means the world."

........

They soon returned to watching the movie, with everyone seated the same as before. They all helped her through it, even while telling her she didn't have to watch, but she forced herself to do so. She felt like she had to, for herself and for Vor. She switched to Bumblebee's lap and turned to hugging him as he was captured on-screen, and switched back to Jazz's lap after movie-Sam began his run to the white building. At the death scene, she had to forcibly remind herself that Jazz was here and alive, his spark beating strongly in its chamber, pulsing with life. She could see others were doing the same, so she didn't feel stupid about that, but still. He had died, and if it weren't for the dead fragment in the Autobots' possession, then he wouldn't be here.

Sideswipe was more cavalier, due to the fact that the cool lieutenant was among the living. As soon as they saw Starscream fly into space, he turned to the smaller mech. "'You want a piece of me'? Seriously, Jazz?"

Jazz shrugged, smirking. "Hey, next time, you can pick the retorts."

Sunstreaker shook his head. "I can't believe you were _that_ easy to take down."

Now the saboteur laughed. "This is Megatron we're talking about, here. You'd probably get killed fighting him alone, too."

Sideswipe nodded vigorously. "Well, there was that one time back on Cybertron where Sunny and I ran afoul of him. It was only because of Bluestreak's timely sniper shot that we got out of there alive."

Jazz snickered. "You had to be _rescued_, Sides? Gee, what is the universe coming to?"

Kate couldn't help but smile at the banter. _He's alive now,_ Vor told her, _so they're allowed to laugh about it. It's a way to ignore the fear, the pain._

It really did make a lot of sense. Laughter was said to be the best medicine. Phantom would always try to get her to laugh whenever she was feeling down about Keagan, she remembered, and Keagan had done the same about their parents. _"Sure, I miss them,"_ he told her once. "_Sure, it hurts. But I also know they wouldn't want us depressed about it. They died in a car accident, Kate. Laughter may not bring them back, but neither does moodiness, and that's no way to remember them. Come on, let's head to Gene's. I'll bet that together we can have you laughing within the hour."_

Vor gave her a mental nudge. _When are you going to tell them that you remember Phantom's name and your aunt's?_

_Later,_ she decided. _I want to stay here for now. I don't want to face her yet. People hate me there. Will she even be the same here? Was Gene even my teacher?_

_Of course he was,_ Vor told her. _Glen said as much. You worry too much, dearie._

_Says the All Spark._

_I have legitimate reason to be worried about you, especially when you're like this. It's getting late, now. You should head to bed._

Kate yawned in reply, drawing attention to herself, and Jazz nudged her carefully into an open hand. Standing, he cradled her gently, smiling down at her sleepy expression. "I'm going to take Kate to her room," he announced. "I'll be back soon."

Not too long after, he set her carefully on the ground. "Are you going to be okay?" he asked.

Kate nodded. "Yeah. I've got Vor, so I won't be alone. If I need you, I'll find some way to get in touch."

Jazz grinned. "I have no doubt that you will. Get some rest, Katie-girl. We really will be here in the morning."

"I know you will be." Kate hugged him again, wrapping her arms as much as she could around his neck. "Vor's letting me feel your sparks, so I can feel you here, alive and strong. It's what kept me calmest during the movie. It's what will keep me calm tonight." She gave him a quick peck on his metal cheek, then drew back, smiling up at him. "Goodnight, Jazz."

Carefully, he ruffled her hair, earning a laugh from the girl. "Goodnight, Katie-girl.

"See you in the morning."

* * *

**Edited 5-5-10**


	22. Chapter 22: Welcome to Life

Thank you for reviewing, **Anasazi Darkmoon**, **2GrayBoys**, and **Moonpiper**!

**2GrayBoys--** Maybe, maybe not. At this point, they're just really good friends.

The dream sequence here has been written for a long while, with a few edits. I'm pleased with how it came out. XD And we have a few more new things as we get ever-closer to the climax . . . As for why Vor mixes Cybertronian and Earth terms, well, she's been with humans for a few decades . . . :-P One might say she's assimilated a little bit . . .

* * *

_**Chapter Twenty-Two – Welcome to Life**_

_She had been calling for so long. She cried for Her children, feeling their pain. But She couldn't get through . . . Something stopped Her, preventing Her from reaching them. Her newest children in this last vorn were twisted souls, born evil from the taint of the Evil One sleeping so near. Their lives were short, cut off in the same hour as they were spawned. She had no power over it, the life-giving energy being stolen from Her as She sat crying, calling, shouting. This new stone blocked it all, however. The creatures that found Her didn't want anyone else to._

_She was nearing the edge of Her sanity. They stole, and She could do nothing. She called, and no one could hear Her. One of Her children, the Evil One, rested nearby, but he was in a deep sleep, thank Primus. If he knew how close he was to Her . . ._

_She knew She had to act, someway, somehow. _

_She didn't know how long it was before She finally located her. The girl came with her family to visit whatever structure hid Her. Her mind, her body, was perfect for Her intention, and the girl wouldn't even have to know She was there. _

_When She transferred half of Her consciousness to the girl's mind, forming a sort of bridge between the two vessels, She discovered something unexpected had happened in the process. The girl's own consciousness had made a jump to an alternate plane of reality, dragging Her along, in which Her children did not exist. It was . . . strange. But at the time, She did not notice. She could no longer remember who She was._

_The girl's parents died four years later, in both planes. The two lives moved as one, the only differences being with the events surrounding Her children and other individuals in the worlds. In the first world, the girl's brother died in Afganistan, rather than Qatar as he did in this world, and through different means. And that year, the girl was kidnapped._

_She emerged during that time, letting the girl believe that She was just something her mind conjured up as a comfort. She didn't know any differently, anyway._

_The girl was good at what she did with computers, that was certain. Using what she knew, and a little bit of survival tips and lock-picking she learned from her brother, she was able to escape, and She was thought of as just a voice in her mind._

_In the next year, more things began to happen. In the first world, She felt it as the little scout was brought near Her, and as the young warrior was experimented on and tortured. She wailed silently as She felt his pain, but it was a dual reality once again. She felt nothing in the other world, knew nothing of what was happening. Back in the first world, She felt when the Evil One began to wake, and as the suffering of Her young warrior ceased. She felt when he found Her, and they sang to each other in mutual understanding. She boosted the repair of his vocal processors even as She shrunk Her vessel to a size much more easy to transport. They had to get away from the Evil One, and the scout could not help Her do that if She was more than a hundred times larger than him._

_She could feel the fear of the young humans with Her child. She felt Her children's pain as they warred against their evil brothers in the city, felt the steely determination of Her little musician as he held off the Evil One long enough for the others to get away, and felt Her own sorrow as he died. Doing the only thing She could at the moment, She caught his spark and kept it safe in the Matrix, awaiting his resurrection should his friends win the battle, and should there ever be a way to rejoin it with his body._

_She could feel Her vessel's end approaching as the young human carried Her through the chaos of the streets. He fell, and She accidentally released energy onto the road, giving life to the machines in the immediate area. In panic, they started attacking every human in sight before stray shots from the evil ones in the battle felled them. For a moment, an evil one was all too near, but he passed Her and Her protector on in favor of the battle coming at him._

_The Evil One was drawing near. She felt the boy's fear as he hid from the Evil One, felt Her child coming to save him. So much responsibility on his shoulders, Her child. Chosen as Prime, his ultimate purpose was to protect his brothers and sisters in any way he could, in conjunction with being Her guardian and steward. If necessary, he would even have to destroy himself with Her, and She knew it, and was resigned to that fate. She would live on, but would be unreachable. Her child's death would be tragedy, the last of his kind, and She did not want that to happen, but She was powerless. Oh, so powerless . . ._

_Her child warred with the Evil One as the human kept Her from it. Then came the final moments. Her child was ready to sacrifice himself to destroy Her vessel, and the Evil One was nearly on top of them. The human had a better idea, however, an instinctive move that saved Her child and spelled the Evil One's end. She felt the close presence of the Evil One's spark, and consciously channeled every bit of energy She could into him, overloading him. He died, and She felt it as he was lost among the sparks of the Matrix. Whether he went to the Pit or not, she did not know._

_There was still a little bit left of Her in that world. They used that bit of Her to bring the musician back, and She felt Her vessel fragment a little bit more, so She transferred all of Her remaining energy to that piece. _

_In the other world, all these events were merely a film, but as the girl watched it, she began to feel again the disjointed feeling of being out of place. Somehow, she knew she didn't belong, but she didn't know why, or where she was supposed to be. The voice in her mind continued to comfort her, knowing not that the movie was truth, and that She was quite active in the first world._

_Then the girl was kidnapped once more, in a fit of revenge by the ones who had done it before. The first time, it had been because they wanted her to use her talents for them, but she had instead used those skills against them. Now was the second try, but she did it again, escaping to the Michigan woods._

_In the first world, She felt it was time to reunite Herself, using the girl as Her vessel. She called out to the tiny evil one. He was easy to manipulate, and She made him steal Her from Her resting place in Her children's new home. Once outside, She followed the faint echo of Herself and had the tiny one carry Her to Michigan, where he dropped Her and forgot everything that happened. Using a portion of Her remaining energy, She jolted Herself into the other world, where She was soon found by the girl. She felt the echo of Herself in her, and knew now was the time. With the last of Her energy, She transferred Her consciousness to meld with the Other's, bringing the memories to lie in slumber for the time being. At the same time, She jolted Herself and the girl's consciousness, along with her possessions, back into the first world, swapping places with the girl originally from the other one. And thus She came to slumber while awake, even as She was reunited with Her children. She began to remember, and at last, She revealed to the girl just who She was and what had happened to them. She felt the hope return to Her children, these Autobots. She, the All Spark, yet lived._

_........_

"Kate!"

The girl came awake with a start, her heart pounding against her ribcage. Adrenaline coursed through her veins, while bleary eyes darted foggily about. "Hey, whuh . . .?"

Jazz snickered. "Sorry. But it looked like you were having a bad dream, so I decided to wake you up. You're funny like this, though."

Kate glared at the dashboard of the Pontiac, knowing he could see it. "So very funny," she drawled. "I am so glad I could be the laugh of the day."

Jazz made a humming noise as he cruised steadily along. It had been four days since they had watched the movie, and Kate had been able to come to terms with some things with the help of her new friends. Now, they were driving to the site of a double meteor landing, checking up on whether or not it was Cybertronians. Kate had begged to come along, bored stiff of the underground base, and wanting to see more of the western part of the country. With some reluctance, they had allowed her to, and the twins had come along as escort to her, the medic, and the current second-in-command. Optimus had been forced to stay at the base with Wheeljack and Ironhide, dealing with bureaucratic necessities.

Kate stretched, yawning. They had been on the road for two hours already, and the nap she took had left her slightly stiff. As a result of her movement, Jazz shuddered.

"Hey, stop that! That tickles!"

Pausing, Kate smirked. "Oh, really? I'll keep that in mind, then."

"Oh, no . . ."

"Oh, yes," she snickered. Suddenly, she snapped her fingers. "Oh, I almost forgot. Vor's remembered how we bounced dimensions."

"Yeah?" Jazz's curiosity was piqued. It had been a matter of much debate during the past few days, and answers were very welcome.

"Yeah," she replied. "Something about some side-effect of her power when she transferred her consciousness. First time was accidental, but she conscripted Frenzy and had him drop her in Michigan, made him forget, then jumped dimensions purposely. Then I came along, and she merged, and pushed us back, along with the DVD and my other stuff. Apparently my life and the other Kate's life were pretty much the same, regarding the kidnappers and my parents and the community I lived in after their deaths. Oh, shoot, the kidnappers . . ." She slumped, groaning. "I wanted to be done with them. Oh, well, guess I can't have everything."

Jazz made a noise of approval. "That's the way to think. Don't dwell on it for now. We'll catch them sometime, don't you worry."

Kate nodded, smiling softly. A moment later, she reached for her backpack, her computer the target of her hands. Opening it up and pressing the power button, she settled back in her seat.

........

"Boss, we've got her!"

"Where?" came the commanding voice, the dark-eyed man moving immediately to look over the tech's shoulder. The red square had transformed into a red dot, and was blinking steadily on the screen.

"Two hours east of here, travelling along the 305, north to I-80."

"Keep on her," the boss ordered. "Okay, everyone, let's pack it up! Remember, snatch and grab. Get in, get out, we do this quick. Got it? Good, now let's go."

........

Kate stared blankly over the top of her computer screen, watching the landscape as it rolled past. Here, the grass was sparse and dull, reddish soil peeking through the many gaps. Brown bunches of sticks that passed as bushes clumped together or stood alone, accompanied by the occasional tree. Still, she marveled at how the plants clung to life, as well as the wildlife. Jackrabbits chased each other, then scattered as a coyote neared. She turned her head to watch it as they passed, a smile on her lips. _Life,_ she decided, _is amazing . . ._

And with that thought, power surged from her hands and into the laptop.

Brakes squealed as Jazz came to a sudden, startled stop. "Woah!"

Kate was frozen in her seat, watching the MacBook Pro as it shifted, parts spinning into place. Not long after, she found herself looking down at the curious blue eyes of a Transformer. The Apple logo stood prominently on its forehead, and rectangular turquoise optics blinked up at her. It trilled a question, tilting its head in emphasis.

Kate's jaw dropped.

"WHAT THE HECK?!"

* * *

**Edited 5-5-10**

**

* * *

**

A/N: Vorn=83 years


	23. Chapter 23: Reminiscence

Thanks for reviewing, **LyricaBelachium**, **autobotgirl12328**, **Carebear1**, **ArmoredSoul**, **2GrayBoys**, **Anasazi Darkmoon**, **whitedino**, **THe KiKO peRsON**, and **Riku's Music Lover**!

**autobotgirl12328--** Depends on what you think is going to end bad. :-)

**Riku's Music Lover--** Actually . . . no, they're not! Answer is below. XD

Finally! I've been looking forward to introducing this little guy for weeks. Picture of him (Clap) is up on deviantART, and linked to in my profile at the bottom. Don't forget to read the Artist's Comments!

Sorry if this is moving too fast. I want to finish this story so I can start on the sequel. :-P I'll bet you can guess who the newcomer is at the end of the chapter! XD

* * *

_**Chapter Twenty-Three – Reminiscence**_

Kate could do nothing but stare at the adorable little bot sitting calmly on her lap, the life she had willed into being. Not to mention, it was her _laptop_! Its form was slight but bulky, nothing like Frenzy's, and she figured it would come to her hip at tallest. Its hands were human-like, with four fingers and a thumb, and silver plating covered its body with comparatively thick masses of cable showing in the gaps. In all, its form was rather boxy, and its face also was nothing like Frenzy's. Instead of jagged spires, its faceplates were smooth, separated into two pieces: the main section, and the jaw piece. Silver slides resembling eyelids moved down then up, the little bot blinking. A glowing apple stood prominently in the center of its forehead, the face shape somewhat similar to the Autobot crest. Instead of the more squarish shape, however, the angle started higher up, and as a whole the face was a little more narrow. A vent stood in place of a nose, probably where its olfactory sensors were. The blue optics were turquoise, and its boxy feet were a dark grey. It met her gaze evenly, not at all phased by her outburst.

Shocked silence prevailed as Jazz, too, was stunned, in awe of what had just happened and infinitely confused by it. The stillness was broken as Ratchet and the twins reversed, backing up to rejoin the musician and his passenger. Or rather, passengers.

"What happened?" the medic demanded. "Katherine? I detected All Spark energy . . ."

Kate raised a hand carefully, her eyes wide as the little bot followed the appendage with its eyes. It trilled again, then reached out and grabbed it, bringing the hand to its face as it cuddled against it.

The girl felt a rush of maternal care. _Vor?_ she prompted. _What just happened?_

The All Spark was quiet for a moment. _Well . . . _she began, then stalled. After a moment, she tried again, giving the impression of a mental shrug. _Congratulations, you're a mother?_

"I did this?" Kate whispered. She didn't know what to think.

_Well, it wasn't me who prompted it. I think your feelings brought this about. He's asking who you are, by the way. He understands English, due to having access to the web and your computer files, but can't speak it yet. It'll be baby-Cybertonian for him for a little while._

"Him?" she asked weakly. She felt faint, and leaned her head back, concentrating on breathing.

Jazz moved the seat a fraction, the equivalent of a nudge. "Kate?" he asked, his voice betraying his mixed emotions. "What just happened?"

Kate stared down at the little bot in her lap and made a decision. "Open the door, please. I want to show him to Ratchet."

The medic was already transformed and crouched down. The twins were, as well, and they literally fell on their afts at the sight of the sparkling in Kate's arms as she got out. Jazz quickly transformed, then struggled to keep his mouth closed in his wonder.

Kate looked down at the snuggling bot and smiled slowly. She was a mother. She was a mother! Okay, the thought was really weird, but all the same, it was wonderful.

Looking up, she grinned at the baffled expression that Ratchet bore. "Yeah, I know, definitely not what I expected." She explained how it happened as best as she could, then waited.

Jazz knelt beside her, his optics taking on a gentle look. "We haven't seen a sparkling in Primus knows how many vorns. What are you going to name him?"

"Name him?" she repeated. She stared down at the new life in her arms, and he chittered up at her.

Vor giggled. _He asks why you don't look like him._

Kate smiled. "I don't look like you because I'm human, not Cybertronian. What do you think I should name you?"

He trilled again. _He doesn't know,_ Vor translated. _He wants to know what kind of names Cybertronians have._

"Well, this is Jazz, and that's Ratchet, Sunstreaker, and Sideswipe. I'm Katherine, or Kate. See the difference?"

The little bot thought that over, then nodded.

Kate looked up at the clouds, thinking hard. What would fit this little guy, with a laptop as his altform? It had to be something good, because it would have to last for a good long while.

Inspiration struck, and she rubbed gently at the cables that were on the side of his head. He cooed, practically melting in her arms. "Clap," she decided. "After all, laptops make a clapping sound when they close, usually."

The newly monikered Clap did as he was named for, straightening up and making happy sounds. The watching Autobots smiled, and Kate brought him closer and hugged him. _I don't care how it happened,_ she told Vor. _I think I'm going to like this mother thing._

Vor laughed. _Oh, you say that now._

_Stop it,_ Kate scolded, grinning. _We'll figure this out. Besides, it's not like I have to change diapers. And he's like a toddler compared to a human child. And you can give me tips and instructions, and so can the Autobots. _

_All right,_ Vor agreed. _Let's get going, though. We don't want to stay here._

_Think the Decepticons detected that?_

_I wouldn't be surprised. _

Kate frowned at the thought. _Well, then . . . I guess we should._

........

"Little tyke's very well behaved," Jazz complimented. "By the way, I talked to Optimus and Ironhide and told them about our new friend. They're looking forward to meeting him."

Kate grinned. "I'll bet. Vor tells me you guys can't even keep your sensors off of him."

"Well, yeah. He's a sparkling. Both a sight for sore eyes and a vulnerable thing. Compare his fragility to a kitten and there you have it."

Clap perked up at the words and chittered a long string of words. Listening to Vor's running translation, Kate supplied the basic idea. "He says he likes kitten pictures. They're cute. He also says my new coding is full of holes." She laughed at that last bit, and rubbed his head cables. "Of course it's full of holes," she told him. "I only just started on that thing. Hey, think you could help me?"

Clap's eyes shone in excitement as he nodded, and immediately began shifting. Soon the silver laptop was perched on her lap, screen open and already displaying the program she wanted. As a laptop, he was just a little bigger than he used to be, due to new components. Even so, she didn't know where some of his parts went. Subspace? If she remembered right, that _was_ how G1 Blaster turned into a radio.

Jazz gave an appreciative chuckle at his eagerness. "So how'd you get into this stuff, anyway?"

Kate shrugged. "I told you before that my teacher was a friend of my brother. College classmate, I think. His name's Gene Nicholson, and he only hacked steadily for a few years before he got a job as a crypto-geek. He taught me how to encrypt and decrypt stuff, having me go at his own programs to try and get through. NSA contracts with him, but he's never let me near that stuff. He sticks with his name as the Phantom on his NSA jobs, and that's how it's still circulating the hacker world. He hacks for a living. He found out about my grade correction, and I don't know if he was more pleased or annoyed at it. On one hand, I did something illegal, and on the other, it was for something good. I had a little rebellious phase before Keagan's death, and got my name out there, and though my brother didn't know about it, I think Gene did. He never said anything to the point about it, but he did tell me once that he didn't want me making the same mistakes he had. After I returned from my first kidnapping experience, he hardly let me out of his sight. He's like another brother to me. I can't help but wonder how worried he is . . ."

Jazz nudged her with the seat again. "Maybe you can get a message to him on that thing. Let him know you're okay."

"Hey, yeah! Good idea, Jazz! Come on, Clap, let's see what we can do."

Clap chittered excitedly. With a bright smile on her face, Kate set to work.

........

A while later, Kate's fingers stilled and she sat back with a frown. "I guess that'll have to do," she said discontentedly. "I was able to leave a message in a place I've known him to hang around sometimes, and I asked another hacker to tell the Phantom that Ghost is alive. He might get the word before I go back, he might not."

"Back? To where you used to live?"

Kate nodded, sighing heavily. "I guess it was wishful thinking that I could always stay with you guys. Maybe in a few months, when I turn eighteen, but I can't fake amnesia on this bit. I have to go . . . home, is it? I hardly know anymore."

"_Fake_ amnesia?" Jazz's tone betrayed amusement.

Kate grinned sheepishly. "I remembered Gene's name back when I was asked if I knew it, but I didn't want him to get in trouble, or to tell anyone who wasn't supposed to know. The SecDef might find out if he digs a little, but I'm okay with that. I just . . . want to stop running." She hung her head. "Problem is, I don't know if I can."

Clap let out a reproachful _blat_, and Vor giggled. _He says to stop talking._

"All right," she sighed, grinning ruefully. "I'll stop. Hey, Jazz, how much further?"

"Not too much," he answered. "In fact . . . Wait . . ." He slowed, and the twins enhanced their guard positions. "Ratchet, you sense that?"

"_Yeah,"_ came the answer over the speakers so that Kate could hear it.

Kate straightened, and Clap closed his lid. "What is it?"

Jazz's voice was tense, cautious. "It's Cybertronian, all right . . . But whether it's a Con or Bot . . ."

They topped a rise, and there, barreling toward them, was a dark grey Chevy Impala. It was clear that the vehicle was in a hurry, but the alien car's intent was as yet unknown.

Kate shrunk down in the seat, just barely peeking over the edge of the dash. She could feel Vor furiously searching for the spark signature, and swallowed hard.

"I think we're about to find out."

* * *

**Edited 5-5-10**


	24. Chapter 24: Welcome Committee

**Thanks for reviewing, Anasazi Darkmoon**, **Riku's Music Lover**, **2GrayBoys**, **ArmoredSoul**, and **Moonpiper**!

**ArmoredSoul--** One never knows, do they? XD

Next chapter will be hard. I know what I want to happen, but not exactly how to write the transition, or how exactly the whole thing is going to be worded. As it has been said, "I'm not lost. I know exactly where I am, and where I'm going. I just don't know how to get there."

* * *

_**Chapter Twenty-Four – Welcome Committee**_

_Wait!_ Vor cried, and Kate echoed the call, opening Jazz's door before he could react. A startled yelp was all he had time to give before she rushed past the twins and toward the oncoming vehicle, Vor's maternal instincts raging in tandem with hers. Ratchet blocked her path before she could get any further, and she slid to a halt.

"Katherine Donnelly!" he scolded.

Kate gave him a wide-eyed puppy look. "But it's Bluestreak!"

Each of the Autobots trained their sensors immediately on her at this statement, but she ignored that as she seized the cloth of her shirt above her heart and clenched her fist. "He's panicking about something," she continued worriedly.

There was a whirring of gears, and the Autobots transformed, Clap running to stand next to her. Ratchet and the twins turned to face the newcomer, while Jazz stepped up to the girl and sparkling as a guard. "Stay back, just in case," he warned.

Kate puffed her cheeks, annoyed but understanding. It couldn't hurt to be careful; Vor wasn't omniscient, after all.

The Chevy screeched to a stop before them, radiating relief as it changed to mech form. "Jazz! Ratchet! Sunstreaker! Sideswipe!" he cheered. "You're really here! We were so worried we wouldn't find you, though he said we would, and he would know, wouldn't he? It took us a while to find altforms, and this planet is very different, the vehicles are so varied! And-"

"Bluestreak!" Ratchet interrupted, a hand reaching out to flick the younger mech's helm. "Who's with you, and where is he?"

"Oh!" The talkative bot straightened, the Kate took note of the familiar red chevron crowning the front of his helm. "He's hurt! See, he had a rough landing, and he got low on power, and-"

"_Bluestreak_! Who?"

This time, the rambler kept it to one word. "Prowl!"

Jazz straightened in shock. "Seriously?"

Kate closed her eyes, her heart racing. Bluestreak had said Prowl was hurt . . . _Vor, can you locate him?_ she asked urgently.

Vor gave the mental impression of a nod. _Have them take you back down the road. Bluestreak just came from him. _

Kate tapped Jazz on the leg, causing him to look down at her. "Bluestreak just left him," she shared. "Vor says to follow the road."

Bluestreak turned, staring at her, then Clap. His mouth opened, but Ratchet held up a hand as Jazz and the twins transformed. "We'll explain later. First, we need to get to Prowl."

Jazz closed the door behind Kate as Clap settled on her lap, then revved his engine slightly. "Transform and roll out. Lead us to him, Blue."

Bluestreak nodded vigorously. With a burst of acceleration, they were off.

........

Kate exited Jazz as soon as she could when they came to the Chevy Impala black and white police cruiser sitting on the side of the deserted highway. Its headlights flashed a hello, and Ratchet transformed. "Prowl?"

Clap hopped out and joined Kate, allowing Jazz to transform. The twins and Bluestreak followed his example, and the lieutenant knelt next to his old friend. "How ya doin', buddy?"

Prowl's voice was weak and full of static. "Been better," he groaned. "My repair systems are working on the problem, but I'm low on energy. Not sure how long till stasis-lock."

Ratchet fixed him with a glare. "It won't come to that."

Prowl gave no answer to that. Instead, he flashed his lights again. "Why is an inhabitant of this world with you, and . . . By Primus, is that a sparkling?"

Jazz nodded, grinning. "Boy, have we got a long story to tell you, Prowler. This is Katherine Donnelly, or Kate. Little tyke's name is Clap."

Kate smiled at the mech, going over after receiving a nod of permission from Ratchet. "Nice to meet you, sir. Jazz has told me good things about you."

The cop car let out a weak snort. "And those infernal twins, there?"

She grinned. "Well, they've regaled me with funny stories."

"Figures. Staus, Ratchet?"

The CMO shook his head. "We're all green, Prowl. Optimus, Ironhide, and Wheeljack are waiting back at the base. Just rest; Jazz can warm your seat for a little while longer."

Kate smirked and laid a careful hand on Prowl's hood as he grumbled. At contact, a small pulse went through her, and she gasped, going rigid.

All optics turned to her. "Kate?" Jazz asked worriedly. "What's wrong?"

Kate shook her head, her hand still on Prowl's hood. "Nothing. I just felt . . . something . . ." She frowned thoughtfully, and turned her thoughts inward. _Vor? What was that?_

_That, dearie, was a bare pull on my power. It didn't go into him, because you instinctively stopped it._

_Wait, does that mean . . ._

_If you can give life to a computer, Katherine, and make a sparkling, you can be sure that you can recharge the tactician and boost his repair systems. Place your other hand on his hood._

Kate did as instructed, the dazed look on her face causing Ratchet and the others to look at her again in greater concern. "Katherine?" the medic prompted.

Kate smiled softly. "Vor knows what to do. You're still going to need to look at him, though."

"Wait . . . Are you . . .?"

She closed her eyes, listening to Vor again. Beside her, Clap chirped, and backed off a respectable distance as he felt the pulse of power. Kate eased the energy into the SIC, letting Vor guide her. It was still the All Spark's power; she was simply the vessel, the conduit now.

Prowl shivered as the tingling energy swept through him. "That . . ." His next words fizzled out in a burst of static. Moments later, Kate opened her eyes and drew her hands away.

"Better?"

Prowl backed up and triggered his transformation. Soon, a large mech stood there, door wings like Bluestreak's raised serenely above his shoulders. A red chevron graced his forehead like a sort of crown, and Kate smiled at the familiar sight. His appearance wasn't smooth like in the G1 cartoon, but she had seen a comic book drawing of a movie-verse Prowl, once, and this Prowl was very similar to that. Sky blue optics blinked at her, and then he was kneeling to be closer to her height.

"That was All Spark energy."

Kate nodded. "Like Jazz said, it's a long story. An extremely simple version of it would be that I'm the All Spark's vessel, now."

"You're-" Prowl balked, and Ratchet scowled. "Katherine!" he scolded. "I'll thank you not to trigger his logic glitch. We do not want to stick around here after that feat of yours. Any Cybertronian could have sensed it for several miles."

Kate blushed. "Sorry. Though I did think not to mention other things. But could we stop at a rest area or a gas station on the way back? I need to use the restroom."

Ratchet sighed. "All right. Jazz?"

The shorter mech shifted back into Pontiac form and popped his passenger door open. "All aboard!"

Kate grinned and scrambled inside. Having Bluestreak around would be a lot of fun, she knew, and Vor was already plotting a prank on the glitch-prone second-in-command.

The girl gave a mental snicker. _Forget pranking for the moment . . . Just telling Prowl my story will get him good!_

_Right, we'll save it for later,_ Vor agreed. Kate wondered when it was that her life had become so strange that the All Spark was planning mischief in her head. Yes, she herself was a prankster, but she had the feeling the incident with Ratchet was not going to be isolated. Especially since she was going to be a fully willing participant in all of Vor's prank schemes.

She leaned back in her seat, stroking a cuddling Clap's head cables. "Hey, Jazz, could you connect me to Bluestreak? I never got to give him a proper hello."

"Sure thing," the mech answered. "Hey, Blue! Kate wants to talk to you."

"_Okay. Hi, Kate!"_

Kate smiled. "Hi, Bluestreak. It's nice to meet you. So, I've heard a lot about you, and . . ."

* * *

**Edited 5-5-10

* * *

**

_**A/N: **__CMO=Chief Medical Officer; SIC=Second In Command._


	25. Chapter 25: AboutFace

Thank you for reviewing, **Rainspiral**, **whitedino**, **Rob Lockster**, **THe KiKO PeRsON**, **Anasazi Darkmoon**, **autobotgirl12328**, and **Riku's Music Lover**!

**THe KiKO PeRsON--** Well, if you look at a picture of Bluestreak (http://en . wikipedia . org/wiki/Silverstreak), then you see that the chevron is split in half and spaced apart. A chevron is a "v" shape. But I guess Prowl's got what I called a "split chevron," too . . . Anyway, and Kate calls it familiar because she's seen pictures of Bluestreak and Prowl back in the Other Dimension. Hope that helps, and thank you for reviewing! (By the way, Happy Birthday!) **[Edit note: Removed the reference to a "split black chevron." It is now just a "red chevron."]**

**Anasazi Darkmoon-- **Are you kidding? Vor's the one who got the idea in the first place. XD

**autobotgirl12328--** Maybe not . . . But they sure can get a whole lot worse! *cackles evilly*

**Riku's Music Lover--** Don't know. I'd need the information requested in the note to everyone at the top of chapter ten. For sure not in this story, as I've got it planned out, characters and all. Second one, little chance. Third one's always an option, though, as it's to be set after RotF after the first chapter. :-P

I am so evil . . . As for the term "lapbot," it was first used by **LyricaBelachium** in one of her reviews. And as for the altforms, you knew it was coming, since Sideswipe is a Stingray in the new movie. Then the case against the Reventón as an altform kept building, and the points are made below. And I finally figured out how to fill in a major plot hole! XD I'll tell you what I mean later . . .

Now onto introducing the Decepticons and making the lot of you hate me . . .

* * *

**_Chapter Twenty-Five – About-Face_**

Blastbeat hated Starscream. Yes, he had done what any good little loyal follower of the Fallen would have done, and had run back to the ship after Megatron's death – to regroup, the twisted scientist would say. That didn't excuse the fact, though, that he had abandoned the Decepticons already on Earth. The so-called Prime's group was growing; already, two more had been added to it, and more were doubtlessly on their way, based on the two protoforms that had crashed to Earth the night before. Add to this the humans with their Sabo rounds, and they were actually a force to be reckoned with, scattered as the Decepticons were.

This particular Decepticon pondered the dilemma of the two newest Autobots. Investigation had yielded that they were the thrice-cursed twins, the former gladiator champions: Sunstreaker and Sideswipe.

Blastbeat pulled a face at the names, or would have if he had been in mech form. As it was, he sat alongside a deserted backcountry road in Nevada, posing as a normal Ford Shelby GT500KR, with red pin-striping on his black chassis. He was nondescript, or would have been, had he been in a city or even a small town. Still, he did nothing that would raise attention, and a holoform could be produced at a moment's notice.

The twins were a notable problem for Blastbeat, as no ill will was wasted between him and those slagging twins. It traced back to the gladiator days, of which he had been a part. Then he went to join Megatron and the Fallen, and the twins had been recruited to the Autobot cause.

They never had liked each other.

Someone signaled him, interrupting his moody thoughts. _"Blastbeat, are you still parked on that dust trap they call a road?"_

He grumbled, a perfectly good rant ruined. _"Yes, Deathcall, I am. You still at the warehouse?"_

"_Duh. Now get back here, Junker's getting antsy."_

"_Soon. I want to- Whoa."_

"_What? What is it?"_

"_I felt- That was- No way . . ."_

"_Blastbeat, _what_?!"_

"_I thought the All Spark was destroyed!"_

"_It was. Why? What happened?"_

"_I felt its energy. Someone just used it on something. Oh, here we go . . . There's Autobots a few miles away from here. You don't think-"_

"_They might." _Deathcall's voice was tense, excited. _"So . . .?"_

"_They have a human with them. When it's alone, I'll grab it and bring it back there. We can ransom it for the All Spark."_

"_They would never go for that!"_

Blastbeat snickered. Evilly was a given. _"If they want the fleshling alive . . . they won't have a choice."_

_........_

" . . . and that is why you should always be careful about what you look at on the internet. Aside from all the bugs or viruses a site could give you, there's plenty of stuff you don't need to see."

"_Like por-"_

"Exactly," Kate interrupted, blushing. "So if you see humans without any clothes on, don't look."

Bluestreak had the feeling of one weirded out. _"I'll keep that in mind. Hey, Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, I like your altforms. Really cool, and-"_

"_Thanks," _Sunstreaker interrupted, in no mood to hear a longwinded compliment, as much as he liked compliments in general. But with Bluestreak, you had to be careful not to let him talk quite so much sometimes.

Kate grinned. "You know, Sides, Sunny, if you were trying to blend in, you're not exactly doing the best job."

There was a long, silent pause. Then, _"How so?"_

"Well, for one, less than two dozen Reventóns were made for America. Second . . . They only come in silver."

"_Oops."_

Kate smiled at Sideswipe's communique. "I love your altforms, I really do. It's just . . . Well, you're conspicuous. Even more so than Jazz, who has a discontinued model for his altform – though apparently he's one of the only hardtops in existence. It baffles me to think that, out of all the cars in the country, you managed to get the one car that would make you unique."

"_And we look good, no?"_

"_Regardless,"_ Prowl answered, _"you will need to change altforms."_

"_Aw, man!"_

"_Spoilsport!"_

"_Good goin', Kate!"_

Kate rolled her eyes. "I'm sorry that you have to change, guys, but really. You stick out like a sore thumb. But if you want my opinion on what new model to choose, go with something American. Chevrolet makes an awesome Corvette. Cameros are awesome, too, but Bumblebee's got that already. If you want something sleek, Corvette is the way to go. The Stingray concept car, maybe?"

She could tell they were looking up images by their silence. Then Sunstreaker said, in an admiring tone, _"Girl, you know your cars."_

"_Hot dog, that's sweet! What do you think, Sunny?"_

"_I don't know . . ."_

Kate shrugged. "Well, it's not like you have to keep it forever. If you insist on being the Lambo Twins, then you could always make it a temporary change until you find a Gallardo or something. Reventón, unfortunately, is too rare of a car, and red and yellow is unheard of in that model. No idiot would risk ruining their new Reventón with a paint job."

On her lap, Clap brought up a picture of a Corvette Stingray, and Vor whistled. _Tell them it's sexy._

"Heck, no! I'm not saying that!" Kate blushed hard. She never, ever had spoken the word, and she wasn't going to start now. "For real, Vor? These are your _kids_."

_All the more reason for them to look good. Can't have them bringing shame to the name by dressing up all shabbily, like a rusty old Buick. _

_Okay, I can understand the sentiment that you want your children to look good. But I'm not saying that word! I'm only just into the stage where I occasionally describe guys as hot instead of cute._

_You've got a late start on girlhood._

_Growing up with boys, what can you expect?_

_Well, there's that aunt of yours._

_We never talked. Much. At all. Hardly ever. Maybe for a few years, but then I got kidnapped and . . . _

_All right, no need to visit painful ground right now. Just tell them in a roundabout way._

Kate frowned. "Fine," she muttered. "Sunstreaker, Sideswipe, Vor wants me to tell you that the Stingray is the 'S' word."

"_Sweet?"_

"No," she answered, and blushed.

" _. . . Oh . . . Sexy?"_

Kate scowled. "You didn't hear it from me."

Jazz chuckled. "Of course not."

Prowl signaled for her attention. _"Who is Vor?"_

"Ah . . ." Kate sent a panicked glance at Jazz's steering wheel. "Long story," she answered lamely. "We'll tell you later. Basically, she's a sentient voice in my head. Don't glitch!"

"_I will not,"_ the SIC answered, already stewing over the snippet. _"And it can wait until I am repaired, I suppose."_

"_Oh, look it, look it, look it! What's that brown creature with the antlers and hooves and that looks like a deer?"_

Kate laughed at Bluestreak's excitement, but well appreciated it. This was the first time she had seen one, as well. Clap looked it up on wikipedia, and she glanced through the information briefly. "Well, first, those are called horns. Not entirely sure what the difference is from antlers. Anyhow, that's a Pronghorn Antelope. If you see a big animal that looks like a very fluffy cow, that's a buffalo, or bison. I know you guys have much stronger frames than regular cars, but I wouldn't recommend letting one ram you."

"_Why would we let it ram us, anyway?"_

Kate shrugged. "Just sayin'. Ooh, Jazz! There's a gas station!"

The Pontiac snorted. "Run-down looking place. You sure you want to stop here?"

"If it's got a bathroom, yes. I know, icky, but it beats peeing in the bushes. Look, it's open, see? Cars parked in front."

Jazz sighed. "All right. Guys, we're pausing here. Sharp lookout, remember."

"_Move quickly, Katherine,"_ Ratchet advised. _"We are uncertain whether there are any Decepticons around, and I want to get back soon so I can finish up on Prowl."_

Kate nodded as Jazz came to a stop in front of the gas station, holoform activated. "Will do. Clap, no! You can't come."

The little lapbot, as Sideswipe had joked, gave Kate the biggest puppy-eyes she had ever seen. Giving in, she sighed and held out her bag. "Fine. Transform and get in. Whatever you do, though, you can't be seen or heard! Got it?"

Clap nodded obediently and did as he was told. Kate slid him into the computer pocket, then zipped up the backpack and nestled the straps around her shoulders. Clap was the only thing inside, so it didn't weigh much at all. "I'll be right back," she told the Autobots, and went inside.

........

Blastbeat spotted the SUV at the gas station easily, and guessed immediately as to its passengers' intent.

_This could get interesting,_ he mused, inwardly smirking. Perhaps he could use this to his advantage.

That thought in mind, he raced past the gas station at full speed, drawing the gathered Autobots' attention easily. Slag it, there were two more. How many were there, now, anyway?

Two of them, the Lamborghinis, gave chase, and he knew immediately that these were the twins. And the others were so focused on him, they didn't notice the SUV pulling away, heading in the opposite direction as his inspired Wild Goose Chase.

By the time they realized what had happened, it was all too late.

........

Kate hefted her backpack once more, puffing air into her cheeks. She hadn't quite counted on the little sparkling's attachment to her, though she did rather like it. At least he'd had the decency to stay in the backpack. Just being close, she supposed, was enough for him.

She could sense Vor's sudden mental stiffening, but didn't wonder at the sensation. Instead, she asked, _What's wrong?_

_Decepticon,_ Vor answered. _Quickly, get outside to the others. He's gone off, but something's wrong. Hurry!_

Kate obeyed, taking five quick steps toward the front door. Before she could take another, a hand clapped down over her mouth, and she was jerked backwards.

The girl's fight-or-flight instincts kicked in, and she immediately started struggling. "Mmm-mmph!" she cried, the words muffled by the hand. Let go!

Whoever now had her was so much stronger than her, however, and Clap certainly had no room in which to transform. The arm wrapped around her middle pulled her toward the back door, and she did her best to slow them down, feet scrabbling for purchase on the linoleum. The Autobots were so focused on the Decepticon that had breezed by, they were oblivious to the kidnapping occurring right there. She doubted the kidnappers were aware of them, however. The Decepticon probably saw an opportunity to get her away from the group and took it.

The man holding her hauled her outside to a black SUV, the windows tinted against the world. The door popped open, and she was tossed inside. Struggling upright, she quickly found that she had a gun pointed right at her head.

"Scream," the voice of her nightmares hissed, "and you die."

Kate's eyes were wide open in horror as she froze, panic setting in. Her throat closed up, choking down any sound, and she suddenly found it very hard to breath. She was hardly aware of the fact that they had just left the gas station, leaving an unaware team of Autobots behind. All she knew was the pistol and the cold, dark brown eyes set in a stony face framed by black hair.

Everything had just gotten a whole lot worse.

* * *

**Edited 5-5-10**


	26. Chapter 26: From One Fire to The Next

**Thank you for reviewing, ArmoredSoul**, **LyricaBelachium**, **TheBigMystery**, **autobotgirl12328**, **whitedino**, **MaraGen**, **2GrayBoys**, **Fourth Remnant**, **Riku's Music Lover**, and **Anasazi Darkmoon**!

**LyricaBelachium--** *waves* Hello, fellow member of deviantART's Autobot-club! XD

**Anasazi Darkmoon-- **You have just given me an idea for a prank the twins could pull on Prowl in the planned third story of this series! XD Lots and lots of signs saying "Don't Glitch!" posted all over Diego Garcia . . . Prowl would want to throttle them. :-P

*points to story* _Buwahahahaha!!_ You are probably going to hate me more than ever, now. XD And we finally have something to call the bad guy besides crude words I would never even write down! XD You can let it loose with the Cybertronian ones, though . . . :-P

* * *

**_Chapter Twenty-Six – From One Fire to The Next_**

"_Optimus to Jazz. Status report."_

Jazz frowned as he stared down the road in the direction of the fleeing Decepticon and the pursuing twins. Something wasn't quite right about this. _"This is Jazz,"_ he answered. _"A Decepticon drove by in a hurry, and Sideswipe and Sunstreaker are in pursuit. Prowl and Bluestreak are here with us."_

"_I see. Welcome to Earth, Prowl, Bluestreak. It is good to know you're alive. Jazz, keep me posted on the twins' situation. How's Katherine?"_

"_She's in the gas station. Let me che-"_ Mid-scan, Jazz froze. "Oh, Pit and Primus," he whispered in horror. "She's gone . . ." Quickly, as his companions' attention was diverted to the store, Jazz told their commander. _"Optimus, she's gone! That Con must have driven by as a distraction. Oh, slag it all . . ."_

Prowl's voice was tense as he spoke, the black-and-white well aware of the implications of this. "Accessing the human security system. Cameras show a human male wearing a black hooded garment grabbing Katherine. Outside cameras show the vehicle, a black SUV of the Mercedes manufacturing, driving away in the opposite direction as the Decepticon."

"_Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, drop back and let the Decepticon think he's lost you. Better yet, change directions quickly and drive away, then shadow him to his base of operations. He could be a lead on Katherine's location. Jazz, two more Autobots landed while you were driving north. One is Hound, and he'll be flying ahead with Bumblebee to aid you in tracking the kidnappers. The other will come with the rest of us after the humans are ready."_

"_Yes, sir. Who's the other Autobot?"_

Optimus told him, and Jazz smiled grimly. When they found her, maybe they could rescue her without her getting caught in any crossfire, after all.

_I just hope she's all right . . ._

_........_

Kate wasn't all right, needless to say. Not all right at all.

Her kidnapper seized her hair and pulled her head back to make her look at him again, and she faintly remembered what he had once called himself. _Keres_.

She pressed her lips together, refusing to cry out in pain. Oh, but that yank had hurt . . .

Keres sneered at her. "You think you're clever, don't you? Escaping clear across the county to hide from me. Well, sorry to disappoint you, but there's nowhere that you can hide that I won't find you."

Kate bit back a whimper, a familiar helpless feeling washing over her. There were no words from Vor that could be comforting, and she knew she was in deep trouble. Keres wasn't giving up, and she didn't know if she could take any more torture.

Thankfully, Keres released her and pushed her against the seat. "Bind her hands, blind and gag her," he instructed his men, and the terrified girl could give only paltry resistance. She sat quietly for the rest of the trip, which seemed to last for eternity, and as a last-ditch effort to gather information, listened closely to the jeering conversation among her captors. There wasn't much useful to her, only that they were headed for an airstrip two hours to the west. That, and it would be a little while before they could take off.

Not long after those two hours had elapsed, she found herself stiffening as the vehicle slowed and soon after came to a halt. A door opened, and her arm was taken hold of, the unknown man half-dragging her as she struggled to keep up, shoe-clad feet slapping on concrete after she was pulled unceremoniously from the vehicle. Several minutes later, she was shoved forward, and she hit a wall with a pained groan. A door slammed shut, and something made of metal clicked outside.

Now Kate really did whimper. They had taken her backpack, so Clap wasn't here, and she was shut up in darkness. It wasn't like the room she had been held in during her last two stays in Keres' "care," in that this was quite a bit smaller. Based on the dimensions she judged from moving around a little, she figured she was in a large supply closet, emptied of brooms and tools in order to imprison her. Voices echoed in the room on the other side of the metal door, and she tried to listen closely while struggling ineffectually against her bonds, but that endeavor failed. She couldn't make out any words, and so she was doomed to just sit there, waiting.

That wasn't a happy prospect.

Eventually, she sighed, slumping against the wall. Was this how it was going to end for her? She didn't think Keres was going to be patient with her this time around. She had no doubt that he would kill her if she refused one too many times.

Her thoughts turned to those she knew. How would they take her death? Jazz was sure to beat himself up about it. She wasn't sure any of them would be able to hold to never harming humans if they met these creeps.

And then there was Gene. She had left a message, telling him she was okay, and now she might never see him again. What was he doing today? What were any of her fellow gamers doing, or her aunt? Did they still hate her?

Wait . . . Did they _ever_ hate her?

Images flashed by in a heartbeat, sights reevaluated in a moment from her newfound perspective on things. Expressions thought over, words deliberated. And in that moment, she realized what a complete and utter fool she had been.

_I mistook sympathy for contempt. Caution was thought to be hate. Oh, Vor, what have I done? As good as I've become at reading people, my perception was so twisted. I thought fear for me was fear _of_ me. I pushed others away, not knowing what they really felt. I felt abandoned, despised, when really it was all in my mind. I really _am_ insane!_

And the All Spark, faithful Vor, her voice of reason, calmed her. She had a chance to correct all that. _You simply need to escape. _

_Escape? How? Vor, I'm in a closet, tied up, unable to hear properly because of this danged door and unable to see at all! How the heck am I supposed to get out of here?_

_Help is coming._

Help? Seriously? Kate wondered pessimistically how the Autobots could have tracked them. And then she remembered . . . Clap! The kidnappers didn't know about him, didn't know to keep her laptop locked up.

All had gone silent outside, save for a very annoying cricket nearby. The air had chilled, indicating evening or night, and she shivered slightly. Regardless, she struggled to the door, pressing an ear against it, and was able to hear faint clicking.

Hope soared. Clap wouldn't transform unless he was alone; she had told him that whatever he did, he couldn't be seen or heard. He would hold to that, newborn though he was. And if he was alone, then that meant no one was watching. And if no one was watching, and Clap managed to cut through the lock, then they had a chance of getting out of there.

_Looks like we're back in business._

_........_

The car rolled silently up to the nearly-empty hangar beside the silent airstrip, its dark finish blending well with the shadows. His target was here, and he could sense her moving around inside. All he had to do was wait a little bit, grab her, and go, and none of these humans, gathered around an aircraft on the runway, would be the wiser. True, he wouldn't have minded if they did see him, as scaring them half to death would have been so much fun, but secrecy and urgency was in high order here. It was best to lay low and let these organics think the girl had escaped on her own.

_Speaking of,_ he mused, activating his holoform and stepping around the corner to bring himself into the human femme's line of sight, _I do believe that's her right there . . ._

_........_

Kate hadn't known that Clap had any form of cutting implements, but she didn't think too hard on that. The little Nokia-bot had come to life with miniature rockets and a rail gun, so why not a cutting torch? She wasn't worried about his identity as he cut through the lock from the outside, as his sparkling-speak was instantly recognizable and translated by Vor. _Getting you out of there, Mama. Bad men gone, not hurt you more._

Kate smiled against the gag, a swell of gratefulness and love for the sparkling rising in her heart. _Mama . . ._

The lock fell free, a soft _ping_ the only giveaway that the little lapbot had caught it instead of letting it drop to the concrete. It was set aside, and she heard a faint, frustrated sound as the sparkling grabbed for the door handle. It was just within his reach, and Kate soon felt a wave of chilly air as her stuffy confines were invaded.

A presence hovered to her right as she leaned away from the opening door to keep from falling over. _Shnick_, went a blade, and Kate's gag and blindfold soon fell away to free her senses. She took a deep breath, spacing her hands apart as much as she could to give Clap room to work with as she breathed in the fresh air and moved her jaw around. The ropes soon joined the gag and eye covering, and she rubbed her wrists to alleviate the soreness. "Thank you," she whispered softly, smiling gratefully down at the sparkling.

Clap beamed at her and chittered. _He says there was a tracking unit in him,_ Vor translated. _He had not noticed it until they were talking about it, and he has disabled it. It activated whenever you turned on your laptop. That was how this Keres found you clear across the continent. If you leave now, you will not be missed for a little while._

_Thanks._ Kate reached down and gave the little guy a hug, then gathered him in her arms and picked him up. Her backpack was in tatters from Clap's efforts to free himself, so she would just have to make do with carrying him as is.

_So where to, now,_ she wondered, frowning. A footstep from outside the main door, however, interrupted her thought processes, and she dove without hesitation behind the nearest cover.

The man who entered was bedecked completely in black leather, hair of the same shade slicked back into a neat ponytail. He didn't react to the open closet door like Kate had expected, instead smirking in what seemed to be amusement.

"Sneaky little youngling," he murmured, and Kate stiffened, Clap also going rigid in her arms. Vor's voice sounded a warning in her mind, and she knew then that there was no way out.

_Katherine, that's no human! It's a holoform, and he's no Autobot or Neutral, either. _

Kate held back a whimper. _A Decepticon? Seriously? I am so slagged._

Vor was silent, and a shadow fell over her hiding spot. Looking up warily, Kate froze, unsure of whether to bolt or to shrink down as small as she could make herself.

The Decepticon holoform sneered down at her, bent at the waist with his hands folded behind his back, red-brown eyes glittering dangerously. "Well, well. The Autobot's little human femme and . . . What's this? A sparkling? My, my, things have gotten quite interesting."

Kate shivered, holding Clap closer. Seeing the instinctive action, the Decepticon smirked and stood straight. "I'm going to make a deal with you, femme. You can come with me willingly, or I'll chase you down and take you with me by force. I don't care one bit about these foolish humans that were so arrogant as to think you couldn't escape, and left you alone, and I know you hold no fondness for them, either. See, my colleague made your abduction possible by distracting those idiot Autobots. We had to get you away from them, you see, in order to take you hostage. So, what'll it be? I guarantee things will be better for you if you cooperate."

The girl reluctantly nodded, seeing no other choice. His threats were not empty, she knew. She was alone. And chances were, she might actually be taken better care of by the Decepticons. Alive was a prerequisite for hostages, healthy a preferred option. Keres and his crew, however, would torture her until she gave in and helped him, and she wasn't keen on sticking around for that. So, murmuring a comforting word to Clap, she stood, however shakily.

The Decepticon rounded the desk immediately and gave her a small push toward the door. "Get going. Your 'friends' will be checking in on you, soon, and I'd rather not deal with annoyances. Just turn right at the door, and I'm around the corner."

Kate did as instructed, and faltered in her step just slightly at the sight of the deep purple Dodge Challenger waiting in the shadows. The holoform urged her forward, leading her to the passenger-side door. He opened it, pushing her a little less than gently inside, then disappeared as the door firmly closed.

Kate shivered again as the vehicle moved forward, receiving a sharp reminder to not touch anything. She nodded in answer, and hugged the laptop that was Clap to her chest after he transformed, stroking the Apple logo soothingly.

Vor sounded very uneasy as she finally spoke again. _Out of the frying pan and into the fire, I suppose one could say._

Kate turned her gaze to the dark landscape outside of the window. It was a nearly full moon tonight, and the skies were clear, throwing jagged rocks and scraggly brush into sharp relief. _No . . ._ she replied. _More like . . . out of the fire and into the next fire pit. Truth be told, I'm glad to be out of there, and strange as it sounds, I'm now better off. _

_I didn't ever figure rescue to come in _this_ form, though . . .

* * *

_

**Edited 5-5-10**


	27. Chapter 27: Ultimatum

Thanks for reviewing, **Anasazi Darkmoon**, **TheBigMystery**, **Rob Lockster**, **2GrayBoys**, **Fourth Remnant**, **LyricaBelachium**, **ArmoredSoul**, **Benedicta-Cullen**, **Riku's Music Lover**, and **autobotgirl12328**!

**Fourth Remnant--** Who's the other Bot? *singsongs* I'm no~t te~lling! XD

**ArmoredSoul--** It's not Shockwave. ;-)

I just realized that I forgot to say what the plot hole I figured out how to fill in was. Simply, how the kidnappers were going to get Kate without the Autobots noticing. No way would Jazz be so absorbed in talking to Prowl that he forgot to keep sensors on Kate, which was one of my initial ideas. Then I wondered, how would the D-cons know that Kate was with Keres in the first place? And you saw my answer to that problem. :-P

I hope you weren't expecting immediate rescue . . . :-P

* * *

_**Chapter Twenty-Seven – Ultimatum**_

"Get out, human."

Kate woke herself from her silent daze, averting previously unseeing eyes from the window. She blinked a few times, a little surprised, and nodded. They couldn't have driven more than an hour at Cybertronian ground speeds – she had gotten plenty used to that on the trip north in Jazz – and halfway through, she had lost herself to inner thoughts and memories as the landscape blurred past. Vor had reported to her that Clap was in recharge, and for that she was grateful. The poor sparkling had already had plenty of trauma for one day. Not to mention, his first.

She stepped carefully out of the open door, Clap held closely in laptop form. Clouds had moved in to cover the sky, and moonlight filtered through to shine faintly on the ground. It wasn't much to see by, but with the dim street lamps and the Challenger's headlights, she was just able to make out a large structure. A warehouse, she realized, old and run down, covered in graffiti and rust. Surrounding them were concrete buildings and smokestacks, all of them abandoned. The slums would be an accurate term for this area, she decided, an example of what happens to industrial zones when the owners go broke and move out without cleaning up the mess.

Beside her, gears shifted and cogs ground, metal shifting around and sliding into place. A large mech soon stood beside her, deep purple armor giving him a broad and strong look as red optics gazed cooly down.

Kate climbed slowly into the waiting hand, half surprised at the Decepticon's generosity. Then again, he probably just didn't want to have to deal with chasing her or waiting for her to catch up.

And that's when it finally hit home to her, as she rode in the purple warrior's black hand through the opening door and into the cluttered warehouse. She was with _Decepticons_. Not Barney or Teletubbies – though, admittedly, they were creepy – and not Winnie the Pooh or talking hedgehogs. No, she was with possibly ruthless killers, fighting for dominion and against her friends. She was a _hostage_.

. . . And yet, still, she held to the fact that she would have been worse off had she stayed with Keres. He would have tortured her, taken her back to Michigan, forced her to do what he wanted. If she still refused, he would have killed her, and she did not think he would simply shoot her, either. If ever there was a sadistic Decepticon in human form, Keres was it.

The mech holding her came to a halt, stopping before four forms each as large as the next. The first was a dirty tan and green, quite possibly a garbage truck in its alter ego. Next was a large black mech with red details, matching well with the red optics gazing smugly at her. With a flash of inspiration, she realized that this was the Shelby GT that had distracted her friends.

The two others were tan and dark brown, respectively, and they were definitely not the happiest mechs on the block. They scowled down at her, and she hugged Clap a little more tightly, shivering.

The black mech stepped forward. "'Bout time you got here," he grumbled. "Why did you let her keep her computer?"

The one holding Kate shrugged. "It's a sparkling. Figured she could keep it calm better than I could. You know how they get."

The Decepticons stared at the laptop with new interest. After a moment, the black one jerked a thumb toward the garbage truck. "That's Junker, tan one's Digger, brown one's Dump. I'm Blastbeat, and the one holding you is Deathcall. Cooperate, human, and you survive unharmed, unless your friends don't. All we want is the All Spark, and you're our ticket to getting it. Understand?"

Kate nodded shakily. She did not want to know what would happen if they found out she was the thing they actually wanted.

Digger scowled again. "Why you talking to the thing, Beat? It's an organic."

Blastbeat snorted, turning to the tan Con. "Trust me. You do not want to have to deal with a hysterical human hostage. It's much simpler if it's calm. Deathcall, put her in the cage we made. It's just over there."

Deathcall nodded and did as he was told. "You work fast."

"It was these three bozos. I was losing the fragging twins. Now listen, human. No escape attempts, and don't bother having that sparkling try to contact the Autobots. I doubt it knows their frequencies, and we've been jamming its signal all day. Got it?"

Again, Kate answered with a nod. Pretty soon, she was lowered into a ten-foot-by-ten-foot cage, steel or iron bars spaced semi-evenly around a thick metal plate and welded to it. A sheet of metal was placed on top after Deathcall withdrew his hand, and then the Con knelt to meet her eyes.

"Understand this. You are a hostage, and your life is not your own. Cooperate, and things will go better for you. But if your Autobot friends do not give us the All Spark, then your life is over."

In reply, Kate curled up around Clap and stared vacantly at a cage bar. Deathcall seemed satisfied by this, and straightened up. "Who's going to take first shift in watching her?"

Blastbeat shoved Junker toward her. "Make sure they don't try to escape."

The purple Con stepped away from the cage as he was replaced and moved to stand next to the mech in charge. "And what are you going to do?"

Blastbeat's grin was smug, and didn't make Kate feel any better. "It's time to contact the Autobots, of course. I'd let them run around looking for her, but we don't want our hostages dying from lack of food or water or specialized energon for the sparkling. Let's show them that even though Megatron is dead, by no means have we lost."

In her mind, Vor sighed. _Out of one griddle into the next. When are we jumping onto the stovetop?_

Kate frowned, but went back to stroking Clap soothingly. _Probably when the fighting starts._

_Fighting, hmm?_

_There's no way the Decepticons would be fooled into thinking the depleted shard is what gave birth to Clap._

_Too true. And regardless of whether you are my host or not, they won't give you up without a fight. _

Turned away from Junker, Kate's smile was hidden from sight. _So I guess it's, "Buckle up, ladies and gentlemen."_

Vor gave the mental impression of a nod and finished the thought.

"_It's not over yet."_

........

"Perhaps it is time I was brought up to speed."

Prowl's voice was a welcome calm compared to Bluestreak's quiet, fearful murmurings. They were all doing their best to soothe him, but only Jazz's decades as Prime's lieutenant and a SpecOps soldier and considerable more vorns of life and experience kept him from doing something similar. His mind was frantic with worry for Kate, but he had managed to shove that to the back of his mind so he could _think_.

Jazz nodded in agreement, patting the young gunner's shoulder in comfort. "Easy, Blue," he said softly, "it's okay. She'll be fine. Don't worry, she knows how to handle herself and to keep from antagonizing anyone."

The saboteur wished he could believe it for himself, even as Prowl waited patiently. Ratchet had his fingers buried in the SIC's back, but Prowl didn't even flinch at the medic's practiced fiddling. At last, he drew back and closed a panel. "Good to go for now. You should be fine in a firefight, and your repair systems will take care of the rest until then. Jazz, fill him in while I see to Bluestreak."

Jazz gave Blue a final, gentle squeeze of the shoulder before stepping back to let Ratchet do his job. As he did, he sent a cursory glance around, taking in his surroundings once more. The place was completely deserted, save for a torched black Mercedes SUV by the runway. Near as he could figure, they were at a small airstrip for private planes that hadn't been used for some time. Someone kept up the runway to the extent that planes could still land and take off on it, but that was it. It was abandoned, both by the previous owners and the kidnappers they had tracked here, who had left before the Autobots could get there. Hound had warned them not to get their hopes up, and had retreated into one of the hangars with Bumblebee to investigate something.

Prowl was still waiting, and Jazz heaved a sigh, fixing dulled optics on a worried Sam and Mikaela, who sat nearby. Prowl had yet to ask who they were, dismissing them for the more important matter at hand, and Jazz figured it was time to let him know. There was nothing they could do, anyway, until Hound figured whatever it was out.

So he told him, and Bluestreak, even as Ratchet worked diligently. Told them about coming to Earth, meeting Sam and Mikaela, Bumblebee's capture, his death, Megatron's death, and his resurrection using the shard. Then he told them briefly about Wheeljack's coming, the base in southern Nevada, and the theft of the smaller fragment that still had some of the All Spark's power.

He told them everything, grateful that speaking in Cybertronian over the comm was so much faster than English. From his first encounter with Kate, to finally revealing themselves to her, to Kate's gradual restoration of memory, and finally to the current situation.

"She couldn't remember much," he finally finished. Miracle of miracles, Prowl had not glitched once, even when he was told of how Vor was in fact the All Spark, and she had been split between two dimensions before reuniting herself. The area had been thoroughly checked for bugs, so Jazz wasn't worried about anyone overhearing. "Even if she did, she didn't like talking about it. I told you what they did to her, so it's no surprise. I only wish she could have been able to tell us a name, so we could stop the guy. But . . . We can't."

Prowl gazed up at the sky and the clouded over full moon. It had been such a clear night, but now it seemed the rains were moving in. The stars were obscured, and the only light was what filtered through from the moon, their headlights, and the few lights on the hangars. Close by, there were the remains of a small, unlit traffic control tower, but none of them were sure of its stability, and Sam and Mikaela consequently kept away from it. The fact that the top half had collapsed to the ground at some undetermined time also contributed to this.

Jazz knew he had given his friend a lot to think about. Kate's hacking prowess and her kidnappers' fixation with her, and the multitude of reasons why it was so important they got her back. Each was complicated, and separate from each other, and yet fused into one confusing jumble. They had to get her back because she was the host of the All Spark, and just as importantly, they had to get her back because she was their friend.

Bluestreak had gone quiet early on in the explanation, and dull optics gazed steadfastly at the tarmac while door wings debated confusedly whether to perk up in hope at the All Spark's survival, or to sink down like they were before in light of everything else.

Poor Blue. They had only just met each other, too.

Prowl stirred, causing Jazz to look over at him again. A sigh was heaved, not exclusively a human gesture. "You worry very much about her."

There was no point in denying it. It wasn't like lying would make things better. So he gave the only answer he could. "Yes."

Prowl's gaze was sympathetic. Contrary to popular belief, the SIC did have a spark, and he did sometimes display emotion. Now was one of those. "We'll find her, Jazz," he said pointedly. "I know you're scared for her, but we'll find her. Do you need me to take command?"

Jazz grinned weakly. "Probably for the best. I'm a little too close to it to make the best decisions."

Ratchet snorted as he stood. "Aren't we all? You're all set, Bluestreak. Your navigational computer should be working just fine, now. Hound, Bumblebee, what'd you find?"

The green jeep's expression was an interesting clash of positive and negative emotions. The humans perked up as Bumblebee approached, and climbed readily into his waiting hands.

Hound gestured for them to follow him. "You'll want to take a look. I'm . . . not entirely sure what I found, and Bumblebee was only able to make a few guesses."

Jazz was at the hangar entrance much faster than a human would normally expect something so large to move, but no one present paid it any mind. Even Bluestreak gathered with the others at the door, and Hound pointed out the curious items. "The lock on that storage space was cut with some sort of torch, and some sort of organic material called cloth and rope were cut with what seems to be a blade. I detect dried saliva on one of the pieces of cloth, indicating that it was held in a human mouth."

"A gag," Mikaela murmured dully. Hound shrugged, then pointed to the other item.

"That's called a backpack, correct?"

Jazz nodded, eyeing the item with interest. It was in shreds, and he had no doubt the kidnappers were quite confused about that when they saw it. "Looks like Clap got out and freed Kate."

"Clap?"

Jazz focused his attention on Sam and nodded. "Kate gave life to her laptop sort of accidentally, but without any regret. She named the little tyke 'Clap.' Sorry, forgot you didn't hear that story. Hound, is there any indication whether the kidnappers took Kate with them on the plane?"

Hound paused, and Jazz knew he wasn't going to like this. "Actually . . . yes. There is a trace energy signature at the corner of the building outside that is consistent with Cybertronians. It is quite possible there was a Decepticon here, but whether they have Kate or not, I can't tell."

"I think I can answer that."

Everyone turned to the newly arrived Optimus Prime, who looked very grim and worn. Lennox and his team were standing behind him or getting out of Ironhide and their ace-in-the-hole, and Optimus waited until the two mechs had transformed and he had everyone's attention before continuing.

"Just prior to getting here, I received a message from a group of Decepticons, led by a mech named Blastbeat. In it, he explained Katherine's fate, and delivered his ultimatum."

Keying something on his helm, a 2D holographic projection appeared, showing a mostly black head with red optics and detailing. Jazz's own optics narrowed beneath his visor as he recognized the fragger for the one who had distracted them all from the happenings in the gas station.

A smug grin was on his faceplates, bordering on sadistic. He began to speak, and the Autobots and humans listened.

By the end, none of them were at all happy.

........

"_Greetings, Autobots. I am Blastbeat, leader of a force of Decepticons, and current captor of your little human femme and the sparkling. With this message, I provide coordinates to a meeting place. Bring the All Spark shard to that location at Nevada time, oh-five-hundred, or their lives are . . . forfeit. _

"_Move quickly, Autobots. You have five hours. Blastbeat out."

* * *

_

**Edited 5-5-10

* * *

**

A/N: Vorn = 83 years; SIC = Second In Command


	28. Chapter 28: Battle Renewed

Thank you for reviewing, **Anasazi Darkmoon**, **2GrayBoys**, **Benedicta-Cullen**, **autobotgirl12328**, and **Riku's Music Lover**!

Sorry for taking so long to update, everyone. But, as you can see, I was not idle! I went through and made edits here and there throughout the story, and added a prologue to the first chapter and chapter names to all. And rest assured, I have a solid idea where I'm going with all this. ;-) And now, here's the next chapter! Sorry it's so short, I just figured that was a nice, suspenseful place to end it . . .

* * *

_**Chapter Twenty-Eight – Battle Renewed**_

Kate sighed for the hundredth time, it seemed, as she rubbed Clap's head cables, the sparkling curled up against her and shivering. Glancing up from tinkering with his cannons, Dump scowled. "Stop that," the dark brown mech ordered irritably. She merely gave him a tired look, then went back to staring listlessly at the metal floor of her cage. She was so tired . . . Every once in a while, she had caught a snippet of sleep, but it was awfully hard to rest with the threat of death looming over her head, and a irritable Decepticon, too.

The girl looked down at Clap and managed a weary smile. She had no idea what time it was, and she figured Dump wasn't about to tell her. There were, however, windows up near the ceiling, and from the brief glimpses she had stolen of them, it looked to still be dark outside. It would be, she knew, even when everything hit the fan, so to speak. She had heard Blastbeat's transmission, his ultimatum, and she knew what her literal deadline was. Would the Autobots actually bring the shard, she wondered? It wasn't like bringing it would change matters. Its energy was depleted, and only she could charge it now.

Deathcall was not happy with Blastbeat, she quickly discovered. She was surprised that his loud words hadn't woken Clap, but she was grateful for that just the same. A sleeping Clap was a non-distressed Clap.

"You gave them coordinates for _here_? Why the Pit would you do that?"

Blastbeat frowned. "We have to move bases anyway. We've been here too long. Besides, if it ends up as a firefight, we know this territory. We'll have the advantage, the knowledge of ambush spots and what is stable."

The purple mech considered that. "True . . ." he conceded at last. "What should we do with the organic and the sparkling, then?"

The mech in charge shrugged. "Leave them right here with a guard or two. Or bring the cage with as proof they're alive. It makes little difference to me, though with them present, the Autobots will be more willing to hand over the All Spark shard and less willing to shoot at us."

Kate withheld another puff of air, keeping the sighing to an even hundred. Blastbeat had a point, she knew. She and Clap were especially valuable hostages, ones that, no matter the motivation, the Autobots couldn't afford to lose.

Deathcall grumbled, and she let her mind travel down a different tangent. Why was Blastbeat the leader, and not the purple Decepticon? Deathcall seemed overall to be a more important mech, and she figured the situation was like two alpha males butting heads. Why _was_ Blastbeat in charge, the more impetuous of the two? Deathcall was more level-headed, and was actually more terrifying to the girl. Although, she had to admit, Blastbeat was up there. He struck her as one to never give up, who took what he wanted and didn't care what he had to do to get it.

_And therein might lie the answer to your question,_ Vor told her. _It could be that someone higher up in the ranks made Blastbeat the leader. Starscream, perhaps?_

_Maybe,_ Kate thought back. _But regardless of that, Blastbeat doesn't seem to like him too much. I heard him muttering about traitorous, cowardly Seekers. Ol' Screamer _did_ make a run for space after the battle, you know._

_Hmm. Yes. And I think it was the flier that appointed the black one as "head honcho." Soundwave's choice might have been Deathcall, the noble-mech gone bad._

_Ugh. I don't even want to _think_ about that guy. He's bad news, through and through._

_At least Shockwave is stuck back on Cybertron._

_Yeah. Maybe. Let's not jinx ourselves, now. Any ideas how we're going to get out of this mess?_

Now it was Vor's turn to sigh.

_There is nothing we can do but wait._

_........_

Time, while sitting in that cage, seemed to lose meaning. She had no means of keeping track of it with Clap asleep, and she herself had drifted off several more times. Add to that the dazed stretches and the smatterings of clarity, and Kate was one disoriented girl. Anticipation built in her gut, making it even harder for her to get any real rest.

And then her eyes opened once more . . . and she absolutely knew things were about to come to a head. Everything, crap and all, was keyed to hit the proverbial fan, although how soon was uncertain. Something was happening, though, and her new guard, Digger, seemed to pick up on it.

"I don't see why I have to guard it," he griped. "Junker doesn't mind its existence, have him do it."

Blastbeat gave the tan mech a withering look, one she had seen Deathcall use on occasion when either Digger or Dump were getting on his nerves. "Junker already took his turn. Shut up, you slagger, and stop fussing. You sound like a femme with all your complaints. If you need something else to do, check over your weapon systems. We only have four breems to go."

_That's thirty-three point two minutes,_ Vor supplied helpfully. Kate gave only a small mental acknowledgement, already having some idea of the meaning. As a computer geek, math was a necessity, and knowing there were eight point three minutes to a breem, multiplied by four . . .

Of course, having the mother of all computers – literally – in her head didn't hurt, either. There comes a time when your brain can become so frazzled, you can't even remember your own birthday, and having someone else to remind you could sure be helpful.

_Only four and a half hours have gone by?_ Kate bit back a groan, curling up despondently around Clap a bit more. It had felt like twice that length of time. And yet, despite that, she knew the next half hour would go by all too quickly.

Blastbeat left, his footsteps thudding much too quietly for a being his size. Kate was unsettled by this, knowing how easily a focused Autobot could be snuck up on. She and Vor would have to keep an eye out for him, depending on how events unfolded.

Across the warehouse, a pebble clattered loudly in the silence. Digger looked up, snarling, and stood. He was, she knew, a very restless mech itching for destruction. "Slagging rodents," he muttered, and primed his cannons.

Kate wasn't sure what happened next. Something teased on the edge of her senses, and then there was an almighty _crack!_ The tan mech slumped, his head askew, and Kate's breath caught in her throat as she stared, wide-eyed, at where he was being carefully lowered to the ground by . . . nothing. And yet, she realized with great relief, it was definitely something. Or rather, some_one_.

A small energy blade like one that Kate had seen carried around by Deathcall suddenly slammed into the middle of Digger's chassis, crackling angrily as it was left there. The girl's eyes widened in surprise, wondering how in the galaxy the invisible mech had managed to pull that off, getting the blade away from the Con.

The cage shook slightly as something grabbed the top of it, and Kate peered hopefully upwards as the metal sheet was set aside. The air shimmered, and then a blue and white mech smiled gently down at her, azure optics glowing brightly. "Come," he whispered, prompting a grin from the girl. "Your friends are waiting."

And so, without hesitation, Kate lifted her sparkling and climbed into Mirage's hand. She knew this was all far from over, but she couldn't help but place undying trust in the Autobots to get her, Clap, and themselves out of there safely.

Suddenly, the building shook, dust falling down on their heads as a rattling _boom_ carried through the air. Mirage ducked back toward Digger's corpse to reclaim the blade, and held the human and sparkling closely. He was the so-called ace-in-the-hole, the one with the best chance of getting these two out safe and alive. His fellows were to distract the Decepticons to give them that chance, but none were sure how long that would be effective.

As Kate listened to the raging fight outside, Clap stirred, turquoise optics opening wide as he awoke. She hushed him to keep him quiet, and surrendered her fate to the Autobots.

The battle for the All Spark had once again begun.

* * *

**Posted 5-13-10**


	29. Chapter 29: Failure of Negotiations

Thank you for reviewing, **Benedicta-Cullen**, **Rainspiral**, **Riku's Music Lover**, **TheBigMystery**, **ArmoredSoul**, **autobotgirl12328**, **Trunksymia**, **Bookits**, **LadyBlue001**, and **Kai-Chan94**! I'm sorry it took me so long to update. College has started, though, so it will be a long time before the next chapter comes around. Anyhow, here's your next cliffhanger! XD

**LadyBlue001-** Yeah, I tried that . . . The document editor doesn't like me, though. Oh, well! Anyhow, thank you!

* * *

_**Chapter Twenty-Nine – Failure of Negotiations** _

"_So that's the plan, then. Sam and Mikaela will stay with Ratchet, and Bluestreak will stay with them just in case the Cons attack them. The twins, Ironhide, Bumblebee, Hound, Prowl, Optimus, and I are to provide a diversion while Mirage rescues Kate. Did I miss anything?"_

_Prowl nodded at Jazz, a silent yes. "The human soldiers will accompany Ironhide and will lend what aid that they can. Prime, where is Wheeljack?"_

"_Back at our new base. He wanted to come, but we needed someone to stay behind in case the Decepticons took advantage of our absence. This group does not seem to be in league with any others, but opportunity is just that."_

_Ironhide grunted. "So is the plan set, or what? I'm not leaving Kate and that sparkling in the hands of the Cons."_

"_None of us are," Jazz agreed. "Optimus?"_

_Optimus Prime observed the gathered Autobots, approval in his shining, grave optics. "Autobots," he rumbled, and the troops transformed, letting the humans get in. "Roll out."_

_The order given, tires promptly squealed, and the Autobots took off down the deserted road. Ratchet and Bluestreak trailed behind with the civilians, and up front, Jazz was giving off an aura of deadly determination._

Hang on, Kate, _was his single thought._ We're coming for you.

...

The maelstrom was in full force as Mirage exited the warehouse, the crumbling concrete adding to the confusion as it shattered with each strike of energy. Fire bloomed in rumbling explosions, Sabo rounds and spheres of crackling light targeting relentlessly. A power pole crashed to the ground, the sparks like living entities as they danced angrily over the fallen wires, arcs of electricity spanning between the strands.

The spy, once more invisible and sending a tingling feeling through his passengers as a result, sheltered Kate and Clap with a protecting hand, shrinking away from a fireball so that the two fragile beings he carried wouldn't be harmed by the intense heat. It was not quite to the point where it would hurt him, but sparklings and humans were ever so much more vulnerable.

Something flickered to the left. In the raging confusion, a small, teasing sense was all Kate got before Mirage brought his blade up, countering an identical one in a flash of light and angrily hissing energy. Kate looked up, shocked and terrified, and stared right into the face of a purple Decepticon.

Mirage dropped his cloak. "Deathcall," he snarled, his voice a low growl.

Deathcall smirked, bringing up a second blade. "Hello, Mirage. I see you've got your hands full. Would you like me to take care of that for you?"

Kate held back a yelp and held Clap closer as Mirage moved them into a slightly better protected position. "That will not be necessary."

The purple mech shrugged. "Suit yourself."

Mirage ducked beneath the two sweeping energy-charged blades, his own shoving the enemy's up and away. He was at a disadvantage here, a position he couldn't afford to be in. "JAZZ!" he bellowed.

A screech of tires, and a scuffed Pontiac Solstice made a hard, drifting turn around the corner that brought him right up to them. Mirage swiped at Deathcall this time, then took the brief chance to put Kate on the ground and urge her toward the waiting lieutenant. A moment later, a second blade was drawn, and the two duelers were evenly matched.

Kate held Clap tight and dove into the Pontiac's interior. "Jazz!" she gasped in relief.

Jazz spared her the gesture of warming her seat in welcome. "Good to see you, too, kiddo," he told her. His relief rivaled her own, and he literally floored it to get out of there. "You two okay?"

The girl nodded, refusing to relax until they were in the clear. "Yeah, we're fine. We weren't mistreated at all, and hard as it is to admit this, I think Deathcall actually saved my life when he kidnapped me from the kidnappers – even if Blastbeat was the one to distract you guys in the first place so that Keres could get to me."

"Keres?"

"Later," she answered shortly. Jazz took a hard turn to the left, dodging a chunk of falling wall, then practically threw himself in the opposite direction as two crackling red blasts slammed into the pavement in front of him. Kate gasped, whirling in her seat to find the source, but had a sinking feeling that she knew the origin when there was no one to be seen. Vor confirmed it with a murmur, and she swallowed hard. "Blastbeat."

Jazz seemed to stiffen for an instant. "Slag," he muttered. Coming to an abrupt stop, Jazz swung the door open. "Hide yourselves," he ordered. "We're too far away for anyone to be able to help us in time."

Kate nodded, obeying as she carried a shivering Clap out. "Be careful, Jazz," she pleaded. "He's far too silent in his movements for a being his size. And those cannons . . ."

The door slammed closed. "Hide," Jazz repeated. "Don't let the Cons catch you."

She shrunk back into the rubble, knowing that she wouldn't get a promise to be careful. The Cons had seriously ticked her friends off, and Jazz especially so. He was going to get her out of there, whatever it took, and he wasn't going to stand for anyone getting in his way.

Jazz transformed, and a look at his visor made Kate only slightly pity Blastbeat.

In his anger, Jazz's visor was a burning, glaring white. Mercy, Kate knew, would not be shown today.

...

Sideswipe and Sunstreaker tag-teamed as they faced off against two mechs, one dark brown and the other tan and green. Mirage was still inside the warehouse, and the distraction was well underway.

Prowl and Ironhide descended on the tan and green Decepticon with such a fury when they arrived, the twins almost – _almost_ – felt pity for the garbage truck Con. But they didn't care, they were having an enjoyable time, as it were, making the brown one run scared.

Dump let loose a volley at the twins, forcing them to dodge for a moment. "You femmes are awful," he sneered. "Can't even keep a pitiful organic in your possession. You Autobots are so weak."

The twins rolled their optics, snorting as one. Dump was in denial, it seemed. Didn't he realize that not only had the Autobots won against Megatron, but a so-called "pitiful organic" had actually defeated the power-hungry tyrant? And he wouldn't be singing that tune about femmes if he had ever met Chromia or Elita One. They themselves still winced whenever they recalled the femmes' retribution for a prank they had played on them.

Dump wasn't finished, though. "You might as well just die. Or would you miss sparking with each other?"

Sideswipe and Sunstreaker froze. He did _not_ just . . .

The two rounded on the fool and rained down plasma on him, incensed. They were _brothers_, _twins_, and would never stoop to such thrice-cursed behavior. It went against every fiber of their being. It was just . . . _wrong_. And Dump had known how they felt about that, and he had . . .

Needless to say, Dump very soon regretted deeply insulting the Lambo Twins. When they were done, his corpse was a melted scrap heap, barely recognizable as who it had been . . .

...

**Previously . . .**

The Decepticons were outnumbered more than two-to-one, not counting the guard in the warehouse. Normally, the Autobots would have perhaps pitied their enemy a little for that, but no one disputed that this was not a normal day.

Optimus and Prowl stood before Blastbeat with the strange desire to pummel him to pieces. This was the most troublesome of all the present Decepticons, and he had been the one who had made it possible for the humans to kidnap Kate. Optimus was less than forgiving about that, the fact that this was Blastbeat notwithstanding. The ex-gladiator had a bad history with the Autobots, and they had always been on opposing sides. Sideswipe and Sunstreaker were this mech's mortal enemies, it seemed, and it had taken much restraint on their part while shadowing him not to blow the glitch to the Pit and back. But while the Twins would have gladly torn Blastbeat to pieces, there was no guarantee that they could without getting seriously hurt themselves, so it was the two top-ranking officers of the Autobot army against this creep.

Blastbeat regarded the two Autobots with what was clearly an arrogant look, derisive in every sense of the word. "You've come early," he stated simply, his tone revealing how unhappy he was with that fact.

Optimus nodded sharply. "The life of our friend is at stake. We were not about to be late."

The Decepticon gave a scornful snort. "Of course. Now, where is the All Spark shard?"

"Where is the girl and the sparkling?" the Prime countered.

Blastbeat waved a hand in dismissal. "They are safe, inside one of these buildings. Now show me the shard, or the girl dies."

Optimus eyed him for a moment, intent on dragging this out as much as he could, then reached into a subspace compartment. When Blastbeat saw that, his optics widened in surprise. The power of the All Spark made it impossible, suicidal, to subspace even a fragment of it. A dead piece of its metal, however, Optimus soon revealed, had no such limitations.

The black mech caught the remains with one hand as it was tossed to him, the other arm bringing one of his powerful cannons to bear. He studied the shard for a long moment as the cannon spun, charging up as his anger grew. Having finally comprehended the sight, he clenched the shard tightly and let out a furious snarl, red optics narrowed and glowing brightly as the charged cannon aimed at Optimus and spun wildly. "You cannot honestly expect me to believe this."

Optimus spread his hands in a helpless shrug. "I honestly do. The shard is drained; the All Spark is gone."

Blastbeat obviously saw the truth that was in Optimus' gaze, for he scowled. "Then you have nothing to bargain with. Why did you come?"

"Because the lives of a human girl and a sparkling are at stake. We will not abandon them."

Prowl nodded. "We can offer instead some energon. Surely there is something else of worth to you."

The Decepticon growled. "The All Spark was the _one thing_, Autobot. We can make our own energon. We don't need your aid. And now, with no All Spark, the fleshling is dead. As is the sparkling, since it has no doubt already had its mind poisoned by you scum."

Optimus grinned, suddenly, highly amused. "I think you'll find that you're wrong about that. Did you honestly expect it to just be Prowl and me?"

Blastbeat scowled again as his words were thrown back in his face. "She _will_ die, Optimus Prime. Decepticons-!"

Prime charged, Prowl right behind him, and the realization of his error was clear in the Con's expression. The shard was jammed into some compartment in the time it took for a human to blink five times, then both cannons were firing repeatedly. Optimus landed one good punch before he was driven back for an instant, but that instant was all Blastbeat needed to land a well-placed shot on something he had prepared hours ago. The explosion distracted the Autobots long enough for him to get away, and then the Prime and Second in Command were left alone, cannons tracking fruitlessly.

Optimus scowled, but he wasn't worried yet. _"All Autobots, be on alert. The Decepticon called Blastbeat is at large among the factory buildings. Bumblebee, Hound, help me look for him. Prowl, meet up with Ironhide and help the Twins deal with the other Decepticons. Jazz, get to Mirage and aid him in whatever way he needs."_

A series of acknowledgments echoed over the comm lines, and Prowl charged off without question. Satisfied his orders were being followed, Optimus set off into the maze of buildings, searching relentlessly for the stray Decepticon, trying to find him before something went horribly wrong . . .

* * *

**Updated 2-14-11  
**


	30. Chapter 30: Elimination of theNeverKnown

Thanks for the reviews, **TheBigMystery**, **Rob Lockster**, **xRatchetXNightSaberx**, **Alex**, **LadyBlue001**, and **Lunar Mist**! I am now on Christmas break, so we'll see how many updates I'll manage to make. XD

**LadyBlue001-** Don't worry, he's not going Decepticon on us. XD I'm actually thinking of editing that part to say that his visor started burning white. I'll think about it, then make the edit if I decide to. XD

**MERRY CHRISTMAS, EVERYBODY!**

I can't write fight scenes, I have decided. **:-(** At least, not very well . . .

**

* * *

**

_**Chapter Thirty – Elimination of The Never-Known**_

Ironhide and Prowl let loose all their fury on an unfortunate Junker, who was unable to do much more than defend himself. Ironhide was in a temper after the disappearance of Blastbeat, and Prowl's battle computer was raging. In the past, they had definitely had their contentions, but they had always united against a common enemy, such as the infernal Twin Terrors and any hapless Decepticon that crossed their path. No disagreement or difference prevented them from working together, and there was certainly no such complication now. At that moment, the two had everything in common. That everything, of course, was their goal to get Kate and Clap back home safely.

A lucky shot caught the tan and green mech in just the right spot, ending the fight as Junker's spark extinguished. As their cannons fell silent, Ironhide and Prowl spared a brief moment to get their bearings. The Twins sped around the corner, having just dispatched Dump, and slid to a screeching halt.

"Ouch," Sideswipe said with a wince. "Nice job."

Ironhide grinned. "Thanks. Status?"

"Only two Cons left. Mirage is fighting Deathcall; probably not a fight to butt in on. Blastbeat is still unaccounted for."

Prowl frowned. "Return to Mirage and make sure he has backup. I know you have a history with Blastbeat and would love to deal with him, but we need to make sure Deathcall doesn't get away as well. Ironhide, rendezvous with Jazz and make sure Katherine and the sparkling stay safe. I will join the search for Blastbeat."

The Twins scowled but did as they were told. Seeing them go, Ironhide gave his superior a sharp nod. "Good to have you back. Be careful, Prowl."

The tactician nodded. "You as well. Keep them safe."

Ironhide turned to go. "I will. Provided I can find them, that is . . ."

...

One would not be off-base is supposing the two duelists hailed from the same place. Both from the upper-class, Mirage and Deathcall had grown up together. In school, they had been good friends, and had even teased each other about liking the same femme.

And then Deathcall, at the time known by a different name, had met Shockwave and Megatron. The charismatic mechs had seen the bloodlust in Deathcall that Mirage had not even suspected was there throughout the vorns of their life together. The purple mech had been careful to hide from his "friend" the pleasure he took in others' suffering, the jealousy he actually felt in the attention that femme paid Mirage. The wall Mirage had not known was there began to become visible to him, and then he realized that he wasn't slowly losing his friend. Instead, they had never been friends at all. On that day, Mirage joined the Autobots, and he never made an attempt to persuade Deathcall to join him. He, Mirage knew, was already a Decepticon. There was nothing he could have done to stop it. It had happened, and Mirage had not even known until "too late" had long since passed by. The spy sometimes wondered, when he thought about it, if that concept had even existed with them at all.

Beautiful swords, carved with intricate glyphs on both hilt and blade, crashed together in explosions of energy. From further away, the weapons wielded by Autobot and Decepticon looked identical. Small details, however, made themselves known to their owners. The glyphs, to those who could read them, formed names, telling the reader who owned these blades in the past and in the present. Great names were marked into the swords, names that were shamed by Deathcall's use of his own weapons. Mirage had long since sworn to take those weapons away from him, which had been given to the Con on the same day as he had been given his own. He was not worthy of them. Such a history should not have that much innocent blood staining its record . . .

Those swords glowed brilliantly in the darkness, blue energy crackling in merry song. Their owner sneered, smug but not overconfident. "You've changed, Starbeam."

"As have you, Greysoul." Mirage shoved his old enemy back, creating space between them. "Then again, perhaps not, though I hear you go by Deathcall now."

"And you by Mirage. Handy little trick, you have there. It is rather convenient that I have the only optics that can see through your electro-disruptor. Fascinating . . . The ability to become invisible to sight and sensor, to appear where you are not, and to fool optic and sensors into thinking you are someone else entirely. You are a wraith, a terror to all other Decepticons, save for myself. I know you. I can _see_ you."

Mirage pointed a sword at his foe. "You never knew me."

"Oh, but I did." Deathcall gave a slow, evil grin. "It was you who did not know me."

"That is true. No longer do I let that burden me, however. And while you might have known me then, you do not know me now. War changes a mech, and your holding the human and the sparkling hostage does not help your case at all. I may not know them, but they are friends of the Autobots. I hold no qualms about killing you to spare them of your haunting their footsteps."

Deathcall sneered. "She followed so willingly, you know. She never made one move to resist."

Mirage charged, his blow parried and pushed back. "Because she knew the consequences of resisting. You hold too high an opinion of yourself, Deathcall. It will be a pleasure to bring you down to your level."

"The level you are on? Don't insult me."

The blue and white spy nodded, unfazed by the snarl. "Yes, Deathcall. The level I am on. I don't flatter myself by assuming to be greater than I am. Nor should you. Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, if you get a shot, take it."

Deathcall snapped his attention around to see the red and yellow mechs, startled in spite of himself. When had they arrived? Of course, Mirage didn't give him much time to wonder, because he was charging again, wielding a ferocity never shown before. His electro-disruptor was not engaged, of course, so the blinding speed with which he moved was displayed for all to see.

The Decepticon parried and thrusted in turn, somehow keeping up with this new speed. Energy crackled angrily once more as the four blades met as one, then Mirage gave a mighty push. Stumbling back, Deathcall just barely avoided a blast from a cannon. Sideswipe and Sunstreaker had opened fire, and a steady stream of projectiles temporarily backed him away from Mirage. A glancing shot on his back sent him tumbling forward, and Deathcall hissed as he scrambled to his feet.

Mirage was there to meet him. Rather, not Mirage, but one of his blades. The Con never had a chance to block it.

The Twins lowered their weapons as the Decepticon's systems ground to a halt. The spark, pierced by Mirage's blade, fizzled and crackled for a moment before going out. Not hesitating for a moment, Mirage withdrew his blade and frowned down at the still form. "I can't very well let any Cons salvage that technology you have, can I, Greysoul? Sunstreaker, care to do the honors?"

The yellow twin grinned nastily. This was, he supposed, at least a little compensation for not being allowed to go after Blastbeat. "With pleasure."

It only took one shot at close range to obliterate the head. Prime would probably ask questions later, but Mirage had a good explanation. They didn't have the time with that one last Decepticon running around to dissect the head and find the tech. It was better to make sure no one could get their hands on it at all.

Mirage sheathed his own blades and picked up those of his fallen enemy's. It was rather anticlimactic when one thought about it. So many vorns, only for it to end like this.

The spy stared down at Deathcall's still form. "Maybe neither of us knew the other well at all. No matter. Twins, status report."

Sideswipe shrugged. "Blastbeat's the only one left. Prowl joined the hunt while Ironhide went off to find Jazz, Kate, and Clap. Prime, orders?"

"_Get to Jazz,"_ Optimus instructed. _"Blastbeat will be after them regardless, and Katherine and the sparkling need all the protection we can give them."_

"Right-o, boss-mech. Mirage?"

The spy pointed down an alley way. "They went in that direction."

Sunstreaker began the transformation process. "We should hurry," he said once in his altmode. Quickly, Sideswipe and Mirage followed him. None of them doubted they had little time at all.

* * *

**Posted 12-21-10**

**POLL ADDED TO PROFILE. PLEASE SUPPLY INPUT!****  
**


	31. Chapter 31: Oh, Desperate We

**Please vote in the poll in my profile if you haven't already.** Your opinion will help decide a major point in the third part of this series, as to whether Galloway will be in it or not. (It's mostly after the 2nd movie.) Currently it's 22 to 10 in favor of him sticking around so Kate can mess with him. Other option is me making someone up to take his role. Wait, what was that again, besides messing everything up? :-P

I'm very, very sorry for how long it's taken me, everybody. Last semester was busy, but that doesn't really account for the rest of my time. Part of it was that the last section of this chapter would not allow itself to be written. I knew what I wanted to happen, but not how to write it. Again, I'm sorry, and I thank everyone who's reading this for sticking with me for so long. I think there's only going to be a few more chapters to this one, then it's on to part two, _Transformers: Keres_. I'll give you all a preview after the end of the last chapter. ;-)

Thank you, everyone who's put this on your watch list and favorited it. And thanks especially to my reviewers. Thank you so much for reviewing, **autobotgirl12328**, **LionLover190**, **animelover1993**, **CrimsonMoon2009**, **Blue bot**, **Wicken25**, **who-says-we-cant-win**, **night-and-autumn**, **Loki's Fenris**, **Vivian Hale**, **Kmaster**, and **Dragon of Yin and Yang**! You're the ones who give me that extra burst of motivation. ;-)

**autobotgirl12328-** Not telling. You'll find out. XD

**animelover1993-** Thank you so much for sticking with me! There's something to be said about character development, I think. I've been taking Lit courses in college as an English Major, and the term "unreliable narrative" was introduced to me this semester: something I realized I had been purposely doing. It's where the character through which the story is told has an unreliable viewpoint. Again, thanks so much for sticking with me. :-)

**Blue bot-** Yep. Three stories, not counting one-shots. I don't think I'd be able to come up with a fourth. :-P

**night-and-autumn-** No promises for in this story, but definitely sometime in the next one.

**Vivian Hale-** Oh, good. That means a lot to me. :-)

Note: Entire story has been edited. Just little bits and pieces, including the bit about Jazz's visor turning red when he's really mad. It's now white. :-P

I've been looking forward to this part for a loooong time. Inspiration for some of the elements came from listening to Skillet's "Hero."

* * *

_**Chapter Thirty-One – Oh, Desperate We**_

Kate cowered low behind a chunk of rubble, terror keeping her immobile as she held her quivering sparkling close. Her unfocused eyes stared past the rocks at her feet as the sounds of battle crashed outside of her shelter. Minuscule debris fell around her, the pebbles on the ground rattling with each earth-rocking step and cannonade. She couldn't tell what was happening out there, who was winning, or even if one of them was injured. Vor kept her sensing ability alive, though, so she knew where each contestant was, and that both were in full battle mode. Both Jazz and Blastbeat seemed to be doing a lot of running around, but the smaller mech especially so.

All of this was for her. This was _her_ fault, her fight! And yet . . . Jazz was defending her with his life.

She heaved a broken, silent sob, holding Clap closer. For so long, she had been under the delusion that no one cared for her, that she was alone even in a city full of people. And yet the Autobots came for her, proving that, whatever the reason, they cared for her, and that she wasn't alone.

A flash of pain welled up from her friend, and Kate gasped, going rigid. "Jazz," she choked out. Looking down, she smiled shakily at Clap. "Honey, I need you to stay here, okay? Just- Stay here. Don't go anywhere, and don't get hurt. If you see a Bot with blue optics, you can go to him. Don't follow me, okay?"

Clap whistled in worry. Where was she going?

Kate gave him one last hug. "Clap, please, just stay. I need to help Jazz. I can't let him die, not again. I know I could bring him back, theoretically, but- I can't-"

The lapbot pulled away and curled up next to wall in the rubble. Somehow – she didn't know how – he understood, despite how he was merely a day old and couldn't know anything about the universe. Blinking back tears, Kate beamed proudly at her little sparkling and rushed back in the direction she had come, Vor a quiet, comforting, encouraging presence in the back of her mind.

...

Ironhide was not a happy mech. The industrial zone was a maze, and even with their advanced systems the Autobots were finding it hard to determine the location of Jazz and his charges. Blastbeat had set up a jamming system somewhere within the forest of concrete and sheet metal, so finding the mech, girl, and sparkling with sensors was a bit out of the question.

Frustrated, the Topkick growled. The circle in which their sensors were crippled covered the entire area, and even though its boundaries twitched about minutely-

Hang on,_ twitched_? If the field was doing that, even the slightest bit, then that meant it was mobile. And if that was true, then that meant it was on Blastbeat, the one Decepticon left alive. And if Blastbeat was moving around in a contained area, then he had to be fighting someone. And the only one he could be fighting was . . .

"Jazz," Ironhide hissed. _"Prime, I know where Blastbeat and Jazz are! Head for the center of the sensor disruption net. They must be fighting, and Kate and the sparkling will be near them."_

"_Understood. Autobots, supporters, you heard him. Speed for the center."_

Ironhide felt his hope soar. They had a direction, somewhere to go.

He could only pray that they didn't arrive there too late.

...

Back at the base, Maggie and Glen huddled anxiously at their computers, cursing the fact that the satellite image over the warehouse and factory district was distorted from the same jamming that kept the Autobots from using their sensors. The Australian immigrant, thoughts flashing between her task and the well-being of the Bots and humans, found her mind repeatedly returning to a certain girl who had astounded them all with possibilities and impossibilities, who had amazed her with the strength she bore each and every day. In the four days after Maggie had seen herself in that movie, after Kate had realized just who she had seen die in the desert scene with Scorponok, the younger hacker had shown such fortitude. When Maggie's father died, she had been a wreck, but Katherine Donnelly . . . She had mourned, but she had refused to shut herself up in her room, pitying herself. Instead, she had bonded all the more closely with the Autobots. In the times when the mechs shared war stories and joked and laughed with each other, Kate had listened with an odd look in her eyes, on the edge of the fascination and cheer. It was a protective look, Maggie realized, probably influenced partly by Vor – that of a mother listening to her children. If Kate could have had her way, none of those mechs would be in danger again. But if they were . . .

As she scrambled furiously to bypass the interference, Maggie felt a pang of intense, deep worry course through her. She could only hope the girl didn't try anything stupid . . .

...

Lennox and his men had been scouring the industrial park for what seemed like an eternity for the last Decepticon. The initial strike had gone relatively quickly, and the Autobots had been in such a fury over the kidnapping of their friend that the humans hadn't even bothered to argue the idea of the Bots conducting the beginning phase on their own. They, effective support though they were, would only have gotten in the way at that point.

But phase one was complete but for one Con, and phase two – the extraction of Kate and the sparkling – was up in the air. Mirage, had he been unhampered, was supposed to leave the zone with all haste and join up with Ratchet. If he ran into a Decepticon, Jazz was to be standing by to take over from there. Unfortunately, they hadn't had a chance to scout out the area and the routes, so they were at a supreme disadvantage. One Con was missing, and this was his turf. The jamming had affected their radios, as well, so the humans had no way to call for backup save for shouting at the top of their lungs and hoping that their yells and their weapons fire drew the focus of the nearest Autobot.

Lennox paused and narrowed his eyes. It was by no means silent, but the closely-packed buildings and the maze of passages confused where the battle noises were originating. Last any of them had heard before the jamming went up was that all the Decepticons but Blastbeat had been engaged. A silence had followed while they had been inbound, but now the sounds of fighting had resumed. The only reasonable explanation was that Blastbeat had been found – or that Blastbeat had attacked an Autobot.

A roaring engine came into existence somewhere behind the humans, in the direction of the factory buildings that had been dedicated to office chair fabrication. Lennox turned, tensing, but instead of a Con attacking, a green jeep took a screeching drift around the corner. Even before its headlights had settled on them, the vehicle was stopping. "Who's the one in charge?" it asked.

Lennox stepped forward. "That would be me, Major Lennox."

"Oh, good, I found you." The jeep broke apart, unfolding on itself to stand tall above them. Blue optics scanned the terrain, then Hound knelt down. "We need to hurry, though I think that Con's already bit off more than he can chew with everyone that's converging on him. Ironhide just called, said to head for the center. I can lead you there."

Lennox nodded, then snapped out his orders. "You heard the Bot. Clear a path for him. Epps! On my six."

...

Jazz could feel a rage pulsing through him, nearly drowning out the world around him as he faced off against the larger black and red Decepticon. Kate had ducked into some form of shelter, but he didn't delude himself into thinking she and Clap were safe because of that. Blastbeat would obliterate each and every rock pile and building to kill those two, and those cannons of his were well able to do so.

There was no speaking, no taunting of any kind. A fireworks show had nothing on the plasma fired back and forth, and even a rock concert couldn't compete for the intensity of noise that echoed around the parking lot that had become a warzone. The concussions from the cannonfire rattled old windows on the surrounding buildings, shaking the ground and sending pebbles and glass shards skittering.

Blastbeat had a clear advantage when it came to size, although Jazz was more nimble and quick with his stature. They darted around each other, Jazz altering his angle of attacks or dodges in a way reminiscent of some American Footballer he had heard of—Barry Sanders or something similar to that. This raised the annoyance of his opponent, but his aim didn't suffer any.

"Quit running, you little glitch!" the Decepticon finally snapped. "_Ha!_"

A lucky shot tagged Jazz on his left side as he failed to dodge quickly enough. Blastbeat was getting a handle on his speed, and thus had been able to score a hit. Having been knocked off his stride, Jazz stumbled before regaining his footing. He was, however, too late.

Another volley caught him where he had been hit just as he managed to stay upright. The impact sent him tumbling, and he held back a pained cry. _Slag_, but that hurt. He tried to stand, but found he couldn't get his legs to cooperate and was back on the ground again. Several more blasts came flying his way, and he activated his shield in a last-ditch effort to protect himself. They struck, and the shield held until the last two projectiles. As the shield shattered, pain flared up that arm.

Jazz refused to give up. Giving up and Jazz did not go together, ever. Even when he knew that he was way out of his league fighting Megatron, he had not given up. Sure, he was smart enough to know when to retreat, but with someone's safety depending on him, this was not the time. So, despite his pain, despite the fact that he couldn't stand and that his right arm wasn't going to be using a cannon anytime soon, he raised his left in defiance and let his wrath chase after the Con.

Blastbeat ducked away from his line of fire and returned a well-placed shot of his own, one last time. Cursing as his last ranged weapon was destroyed, Jazz fought through his agony to find a blade in subspace.

The black mech clicked his tongue in admonishment as he stepped up and placed a foot on the shield-bearing arm. "Forget it, Autobot. It's over. I'm going to kill you, and with relish."

Jazz growled, his systems scrambled enough that he was having a hard time finding the off switches for his pain receptors. "Not- gonna-"

"'Not gonna' what?" Blastbeat laughed. All had gone deadly silent in the lot, and his mockery rang off the walls. "Give up? Die? Let me kill the fleshling and the sparkling? Ah-ah-ah!"

The injured mech had surged forward at the last, but this only brought forth a fresh wave of pain as his systems protested and Blastbeat ground his foot down on his limb. When his shaking had subsided, he glared up at the Con with pure malice in his gaze.

Blastbeat sneered. "You're beaten. I'm only letting you live so the human can see her hero in such a state, so Prime can know how _displeased_ I am with his attempt at trickery. Your medic should be able to tell how long you lingered before I gave you sweet death."

"If you think death's so sweet, why don't you die?" Jazz spat. Sure, being in the Matrix was fine, but with the All Spark's intervention he hadn't been very aware of his presence there prior to reawakening. But really, how was he supposed to resist giving a jab like that?

Blastbeat scoffed. "Nothing in the immediate vicinity can kill me, Autobot."

Jazz's left hand shook as he forced it to lift. "I can," he bit out, even as he struggled to think of _how_. With a roar of laughter, the other mech stepped back.

"I'd like to see you try. All right, then. Stand, if you think you're able." A sparkbeat, and Blastbeat backed away with a superior smirk on his faceplates as he watched Jazz struggle to lift himself up. "Well, Autobot? Shouldn't you follow up on your big words?"

The pain signals were messing with his optics, Jazz could tell. They sent white flares through his vision, accompanied by flickering blackouts. His body wanted him to give up, but he knew he couldn't. Looking up, he focused on the mech ten paces away and strained his arms beneath himself.

Blastbeat crowed his victory as the silver mech's efforts failed. "See! You can't, no matter how hard you try. I'm going to kill you now, Autobot, and I'm going to tell your friends how you failed so utterly in the end."

Laying on the concrete and dirt, Jazz turned his now unfocused gaze on the brightening glow of one of Blastbeat's cannons. It was the end, again. Surely he could do _something_? He still had some explosives in subspace. But any explosive big enough to take Blastbeat with him would injure his two wards.

Movement passed in front of his optics, following after running footsteps, and then Kate was there, breathing hard and standing between victor and the defeated. She stood proud and strong, the anger and desperation of a mother and a friend fueling her courage.

"_Stop!_" she shouted.

Jazz stared in shock, his voice modulator fizzing into white noise, and Blastbeat lowered his cannon in amused interest. "You're even tinier than the Autobot, human. What makes you think you can beat me?"

The mech on the ground could only see Kate's back, but he could tell when she took a deep breath to steel herself. "I'm here to bargain for his life, Blastbeat."

"Oh?" Blastbeat seemed to find this funnier than anything else. "With what? I told Prime, I don't need energon and I don't need weapons. What could you possibly offer in exchange?"

Kate lifted her chin in defiance. "Me."

* * *

**Posted 1/26/12**


	32. Chapter 32: Decepticon's Prize

Thanks for reviewing, **Vivian Hale **and **FORD B**!

I have the next chapter written already, but as I did for this one I'll wait for next Friday around 5 pm Eastern time. (That's 2pm for you West-coast Americans. :-P) That's around the time at least half of Americans get out of school, so it'll be seen a lot better on the front few pages. (Americans make up about 98-99% of my readers, I figure.) So, here's the next chapter. The next two or three (no more than that) should wrap it up, I think, transitioning to the next story. Let me know if you found anything problematic with the chapter.

* * *

_**Chapter Thirty-Two – Decepticon's Prize**_

Pain. Hurt. Make it stop, stop, stop,_ stop!_

Kate fell against the last bit of towering rubble and clenched her head in her hands. She could feel Jazz's pain, knew Vor could feel it also, and it overwhelmed her mind as she tried to move her muscles. Then it was gone, a sweet absence embittered by the knowledge that Jazz still hurt, that he wasn't free from pain. From what she could tell through Vor, his processors were too scrambled to numb anything.

Vor gave her an apologetic mental pulse. _I'm sorry, Katherine. It . . . I was drowning in it, I think. I couldn't separate us from the pain right away._

_It's okay, Vor,_ Kate answered, her thoughts tired from the strain put on her. Memories encroached, but Vor was her buffer from them. Now was not the time to relive nightmares. Pushing herself up, she staggered a bit before finding her footing. _Jazz is in trouble. I have to . . ._

_Stop and think a moment, dearie._ Vor was as eager as her to save Jazz, but years lent wisdom and Vor had that in spare. _You go out now, and you'll just be killed—which Jazz is trying to prevent, by the way. _

_You're right._ Kate hovered close to the entrance to her shelter and considered that. A moment later, the proverbial lightbulb lit up as a thought occurred to her. _Unless . . ._

Vor caught on quickly. _But what will you do at that point?_

_I . . . I don't know._

_Hmm. Kate, you do have one option before you. But you have to get close, close enough to touch Blastbeat with your hands. _

Kate gulped. _And . . . what is that?_

_I am the All Spark. I give life to Cybertronians. If I can give the spark, the energy that courses through them . . . certainly I should be able to take it away?_

The girl blinked in shock. _That is utter madness, Vor. There is no way I could get close enough to do that. He'd sooner kill me._

_Your initial plan would work. _

_No, it won't,_ she despaired. _Blastbeat would be able to tell immediately._

Vor was amused. _So give him what he wants._

_Give him me._

...

Everyone was converging on the lot with a speed somewhere shy of reckless abandon but on that side of caution. With the way the streets and alleys wound throughout the industrial district, it was difficult to tell who was closest. Had they been allowed to simply blast holes through buildings, the Twins and Mirage might have taken this prize, but as it was the road twisted away for a bit before returning. Ironhide, having met up with Optimus, Prowl, and Bumblebee, was time-wise closest, and Hound and the humans were the farthest away. Ratchet, having received word of the situation, had left the civilian humans in Bluestreak's care and was at that moment just a little bit ahead of the soldiers. Bluestreak, for his part, was unusually silent as he waited, unable to get any line of fire on the center of the jamming field.

Sam was pacing back and force with near-frantic energy. "I should be down there," he was rambling, unconsciously taking Bluestreak's role. "Or not, I'd be it the way . . . But it's weird that _I'm_ not the one in trouble this time, that it's someone else trying to keep the All Spark away from the Decepticons. That there's even an All Spark still is wild, but that it's not me almost dying is . . . strange, y' know? And-"

Mikaela cut him off with a kiss. When she pulled away, Sam's brain was scrambled enough that he couldn't have formed words even if he had tried. With a smile, she squeezed his shoulders in comfort. "Sam. You don't have to feel guilty. I know Kate's in danger, and so is the All Spark, and the sparkling, but everyone down there is doing everything they can to get her to safety. Right now, all we can do is wait. No one expects you to put yourself in danger this time. In fact, Ratchet and all the others expressly told you not to."

Sam chuckled in embarrassment. "You're right. I'm being an idiot."

"No, you're being you. Not an idiot, but worried. We all are."

Bluestreak nodded, his attention back on the humans. "Yeah! But don't worry, Kate'll be okay! At least, I think so, and Prowl wouldn't let anything happen to her, or Jazz—especially not Jazz, I can tell they're really good friends. And Ratchet, he won't let anything happen, or any of them. And the All Spark's not completely helpless, or at least she wasn't before, and-" He broke off, stiffening, and turned back to the battle site. Anxious, Sam stepped forward.

"What is it, Bluestreak?"

"The sounds have stopped," the Bot answered carefully, slowly. "There was fighting, but I can't hear it anymore. And the jamming's still up."

"You don't think-"

Bluestreak twisted his hands together as his sensory panels—the door wings several of them bore—twitched spasmodically. "If Jazz won, there wouldn't be jamming. But I can tell he's still there; he's not gone from the comm channel, though there's too much interference on his end to allow us to communicate. They've stopped, and I don't know why."

Sam frowned and looked in the direction all of their focus had turned. "Should you . . .?"

"No," Bluestreak sighed, almost sadly. "They don't need me right now. You little humans need protecting, and Ratchet left you in my care—he wouldn't do that if he didn't want you protected, he would have taken me with. There's one Decepticon, however many humans you brought, and nine Autobots. I wouldn't make a difference. Ratchet went because there might be injured mechs, and there's always injured mechs. One more there won't matter, and I'm too far away."

"Oh." Sam put his arms around Mikaela's shoulders in an attempt at comfort. "So we wait?"

Bluestreak nodded. "Yeah."

...

Ironhide was feeling something encroach on his processors, something he hadn't felt since Mission City, and maybe not even then: panic. Everything had just gone still and silent in a way that couldn't mean anything good, and to top it all off the jamming field was still in place. As they charged closer to the epicenter, it started to mess with their comm systems, and soon he was unable to reach anyone at all. The field's twitching about had stopped, which meant that Blastbeat had, as well. With the jamming still in place, Ironhide knew that this could only mean one thing.

Jazz had been beaten.

He was still alive, Ironhide knew, for he could feel his presence on the comm lines. However, if Jazz no longer fought that meant that he couldn't. True, it was possible that Blastbeat was dead and that the jamming device hadn't been destroyed, but Ironhide wasn't inclined to think that.

He sped around another corner, outpacing Optimus and Prowl, and even Bumblebee. "Uncle Hide," Kate had called him. She was one of them, All Spark host or not. Mother, niece, daughter, sister. She was family, had been adopted by each of them in some form or other.

Ironhide knew Chromia was still alive, knew she was getting ever-closer, but it still felt like he had lost her—it would until she was back with him again. So many other Autobots had fallen, his friends and family . . .

He wasn't going to lose this member of it.

...

Kate knew it was insanity to run out like this, to put herself between a warming cannon and its target. She knew that, if this didn't work, she was dead. But Jazz, her best friend besides Gene, was about to die, and neither she nor Vor could let that happen. United in thought and action, they stood as one between hunter and prey.

"_Stop!_" she cried, arms spread wide as if it would help to protect her friend.

Jazz seemed to choke on any words in his shock, and Blastbeat lowered his cannon with a highly amused look on his faceplates. "You're even tinier than the Autobot, human. What makes you think you can beat me?"

Kate fought to catch her breath, to keep standing. If she had resisted torture for days on end, she could do _this_. Breathing in deep, she summoned her courage. "I'm here to bargain for his life, Blastbeat."

If Cybertronians had a funny bone, these words tickled the Decepticon's. "Oh? With what? I told Prime, I don't need energon and I don't need weapons. What could you possibly offer in exchange?"

Defiant in the face of her growing fear at what her plan would involve, Kate raised her chin. "Me."

Blastbeat roared with laughter. "You! Why would I want you, insignificant little creature? You're even lower than a turbo-rat. All I want with you now is to kill you."

"You wanted the All Spark, right?"

Behind her, Jazz moved as if in a spasm. "Kate, no!"

Blastbeat sneered. "Prime gave me a dead piece of metal, a useless scrap." He stepped forward, then, and snatched her up beneath the arms. Holding her aloft, he applied just a hint of pressure. Kate's instinctive struggle ceased, and she gasped at the pain in her ribs. "You're useless, human; powerless. All I have to do is squeeze, and your blood will be running through my fingers."

Kate squeezed her eyes shut and growled. "I _am_ the All Spark, you big bag of bolts!"

Blastbeat blinked in shock, his fingers loosening a bit in reaction. "Wait, what?"

She fought to slow her racing heartbeat, her life and that of her friend's depending on the Con's believing her. "I've been the host to the All Spark ever since I was eight, way before her Cube body was destroyed by Megatron's spark. I _am_ the All Spark. I'm what you want, what you held me hostage for. You kill me, you lose the All Spark. You kill Jazz, I won't cooperate. The sparkling? Mine. I. Am. The. All Spark."

Blastbeat's jaw was hanging low in incredulity. "You. The All Spark."

"Yes." The girl put all of her conviction into her answer, willing him to see her truthfulness.

Greed, smugness, and a sense of victory all rolled together in the Con's new expression. "Stay down, Autobot," he snapped at Jazz, but was smirking all the while.

Kate fisted her hands and felt herself tense. She couldn't reach him from here, in his hand. This was a tipping point; something had to change.

Ironhide charged into the lot.

Whirling to face the new threat, Blastbeat clutched Kate closer to himself and primed his right cannon to fire at the hulking black, furious menace. "Hold your fire, Autobots!" he shouted, causing Kate to clap her hands over her ears. "Don't come any closer. I have the girl. You shoot, you kill her."

Each Autobot filing in, all transforming to bipedal mode, came to a screeching halt. On one side, it was Prime, Ironhide, Prowl, and Bumblebee. At the other entrance, Mirage and the Twins came only a little later. They all stayed at the edge of the lot, wary of provoking their enemy, and Optimus raised his hands in supplication. "Let her go, Blastbeat."

"I don't think so!" he crowed. He took a step back, keeping all in sight, and held Kate up for them to see. "She told me herself. She's the All Spark. You think I'm going to let that _go_? A source of soldiers bred for the Decepticon cause . . . Power like none could ever imagine! Who needs energon when you have the All Spark, hmm?"

Kate saw the looks of shock on her friends' faces and felt ashamed. Just one more minute, and they would have arrived. She shouldn't have complicated matters like this, possibly betraying them.

Vor soothed her thoughts. _Don't worry, Kate. It'll be all right._

_All right! How can _this_ be all right?_

Abruptly, she found herself against Blastbeat's chest plates, right above his spark chamber. Blastbeat had moved her into a possessive hold, clearly communicating his intention to not let her go.

That was his mistake.

Kate knew she had one chance, and one chance only. He would be sure to notice a drain in his power, but a rise? He would only be greedy for more. So, bringing her hands to the armor, she planted her palms against the protoform beneath and let Vor take control.

Blastbeat gasped at the energy that rushed through him. Clearly drunk on it, he forgot the Autobots, forgot the girl in his hand, forgot the first rule about charging a battery: never leave it plugged in too long.

Her mind was buried beneath a white river that rushed past her eyelids. Energy, near limitless, flowed through her hands and carried with it most of what she herself had. A glow was building even as her strength waned, that and Kate's action freezing all. Too late, Blastbeat realized the danger.

His eyes, shut in bliss, flew open in shock. "You _glitch_-"

Blastbeat's spark exploded.

* * *

**Posted 2/3/12  
**


	33. Chapter 33: Aftermath and Repercussions

Sorry, this is five hours later than I said I would post it. I had problems even getting to the log in page, which was annoying, but I finally got on.

Remember: I have a poll that will help me decide what to do with Galloway in the third story of this series. Currently it is 24-11 in favor of him staying for Kate to mess with him, as opposed to me making up someone new right off the bat.

(Funny note: here is where I mixed up idioms. I was about to say, "right off the spot," instead of "right off the bat" or even "on the spot.")

Thanks for the reviews, **FORD B**, **littledhampir13**, **Vivian Hale**, **Sharta**, **Jazaline Grayback**, and **Snowlily246**!

Just one or two more chapters after this. I don't know when I'll be able to post the next update, since I don't have much written for the next chapter yet, and I have a lot of reading and writing for school. It shouldn't be more than a month, I figure. I can write a lot when my muse gets going. XD

So, I decided to answer some people's questions and assumptions about the relationship between Kate and Jazz in this chapter, and we'll see more of that in the next story. Basically: NOT romantic in the slightest. More of a brother-sister/best friend type of thing. I'll go back and put that in the first chapter's A/N soon.

* * *

_**Chapter Thirty-Three – Aftermath and Repercussions**_

Awareness poked at the edge of her senses, a suddenly alert presence persistently calling her name. _-ne. -rine. -ke up, -thrine. _Katherine Donnelly, WAKE UP!

The shout broke through, awakening Kate with a heaving gasp. Her eyes wide, unseeing, she lay frozen on what she quickly was becoming aware was . . . a mattress? White light flooded her vision, no longer a streaming flow but an all-encompassing blanket. What had happened? Was she dead? Had she done it? Where was she? Why couldn't she speak, why couldn't she see?

The voice that called her name then came as a soothing calm. _Shhh . . . You're fine, dearie. _We're_ fine. You did it; we won. We're safe._

The shakes stopped soon after they began. Kate blinked, consoled, and found that color had begun to coalesce among the whiteness. As she relaxed, allowing herself to sink back into the mattress, she began to notice other details: the blankets covering her, the soft pajamas she had been clothed in, the vastness of the room, and two mechanical beings—one significantly smaller than the first—snoring.

Vor opened her senses, and Kate felt tears pricking at the corners of her eyes as she closed them. Holding back a sob of joy, she let herself rest for a moment. _It worked._

The All Spark laughed. _Yes, Katherine. It worked. Jazz is fine, now; Ratchet did his job well. Clap is sleeping next to you. Give it another minute, and you should be able to see._

Groggily, Kate lifted a hand to scrub at her eyes and marveled at how weak she felt. _What on Earth happened, Vor? I remember a white river, and then nothing._

_Well, I'm not sure. The others were panicking, I know. Ironhide had you soon after you passed out. I'm not too clear on details after that._

She cracked open her eyes found she could now see blurry lines on the ceiling. As she let her eyes adjust, Kate turned her head and spied an IV bag on her left, a fuzzy something connecting it to her arm. A flop of the head again, and she beheld a large silver form resting on a berth next to hers on the right. It was a blob still, but she knew immediately that it was Jazz, and she smiled in teary relief. Her mad, insane, wrath of Ratchet-bringing plan had worked. They were _alive_.

As she lay there, simply breathing, Kate watched as the silver blob settled into a mech, and the fuzzy something into a drip line. She lost all sense of time, but for the moment she didn't care. Jazz was alive, and- Clap! Her little sparkling, adorable in his sleep, was curled up next to her head. She watched, grinning happily, as he stirred and began to awaken. As he stretched and seemed to yawn, turquoise optics blinked open and Clap seemed to detect something different about the atmosphere in the med bay. Seeing her awake, the little Bot let out an ecstatic squeal.

Kate laughed and let him tackle her, pleased that he was careful about any sharp edges. "Hey, little bud," she whispered, voice slower to catch up than her eyesight.

Clap _purred_, wrapping his arms around her torso the way any child would to his mother. She hugged him back, knowing she would have never forgiven herself if Clap had been hurt—especially after she left him on his own. But he hadn't been, and she could relax knowing that.

She found an azure visor gazing over at her from the next berth when she looked up, and she could tell Jazz was fighting a smile as he tried to look stern. "You were supposed to stay in the shelter when you found it, kiddo. Didn't I tell you not to let the Cons catch you?"

Well, no time like the present for a serious conversation, especially after what she had done. "I'm sorry," she answered meekly. "I didn't mean to hurt you all. I just- I was _scared_, Jazz."

Jazz snorted, and finally let the smile come for the moment. "_That_ was scared? Girlie, you got guts."

Shrugging, Kate averted her eyes. "It was the only thing we could think of to save your life."

The silver Bot moved carefully as he sat up and got off of the berth to approach her. "Kate, I almost lost you, there. Sure, I was mad that you took a chance like that, but I can't possibly be angry with you for long. So, apology accepted. And thanks, Katie-girl."

Surprised, Kate stared up at him. "You're welcome. And thank _you_, Jazz. I don't- I feel like I owe all of you so much. I know, I know, you're about to say I don't."

He laughed quietly. "Well, something like it. I was going to say that you don't owe us anything other than doing your best to stay alive, and that means avoiding deadly stunts like the one you pulled. Ratchet's grounded you again, by the way. You're supposed to read a whole stack of things before you ever go near video games again. He might even be thinking of assigning you an essay."

"Dang it."

"Heh. He's hoping it'll take you a few weeks to read through it all."

"Hmm. Jazz . . ." Kate hesitated, unsure of the question she really wanted to ask.

"Yeah?"

". . . Why'd you do it? Save me," she added, knowing what the next inquiry would be. "Why'd all of you go through that for _me_? I'm-"

"Our friend," Jazz interrupted. "It don't matter if you got the All Spark in you or not. You're our friend, an' that's all that matters. We'd all give our lives just because of that."

No matter how many times someone had assured her of something like this, it still took this one last statement to settle things in her heart and mind. Too long living under misconceptions about how the people around her felt about her led to some interesting insecurities. "And if I was just schizophrenic?"

"Nothing would change," Jazz promised.

Relieved beyond words, Kate let her beaming smile return. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, Kate." He paused, staring at her for a moment, then sat on the end of her berth. "You're wondering what all happened, aren't you?"

"Just a bit. Vor could only tell so much, since she doesn't have eyes without me."

"Hmm. Well, you certainly gave me the fright of my life when Blastbeat grabbed you. I don't really remember much; things started goin' a little fuzzy toward the end. I jus' remember a bright flash, garbled voices, an' somethin' black going past me before I went into stasis lock. Anymore, you'll have t' ask Ironhide or one o' the others. I wake up, Ratchet's hovering an' cursing up a storm." Jazz looked up toward the med bay doors and flinched slightly. "An' speak of th' devil . . ."

The doors opened with a soft whisper, the medic himself striding through while studying something on a datapad. A glance up, and he narrowed his eyes at Jazz. "You should be recharging."

"Love ya, too, Ratch'," the saboteur returned with an almost-grin. "Er, Katie-girl's awake."

Kate braced herself as she saw the range of emotions playing out across Ratchet's faceplates. Relief, joy, irritation, anger . . . Just as he opened his mouth to give what Kate had no doubt would be a blistering scolding, she cut in quickly. "I would do it again."

Thrown, Ratchet seemed to blink. "Pardon?"

A deep breath, continue. "I would risk my life again. I know it could have ended badly. I know you think what I did was stupid. I know _now_ that Ironhide was only a minute away. I know things could have been done differently. But Jazz was about to be killed, and I couldn't let that happen. Not- Not again. I've lost one brother already, Ratchet, I don't want to lose another. I can't." The tumble of words stopped, and she finished lamely, "So, yeah. I would do it again. I'm sorry I scared everyone, that you thought I betrayed you or something by telling Blastbeat what I was, but- I'm not sorry for saving Jazz's life."

Ratchet's jaw was hanging open, but the image was completely different than the way Blastbeat's had. For a moment speechless, the medic shut his mouth and came forward. Kneeling beside Jazz so he could face her, Ratchet heaved a sigh. "You're right, I was going to berate you for the thoughtlessness of your actions. However, I see that you were quite intentional about what you were doing, with a clear plan of action, and that I need to take a different tangent. We are not sorry you saved Jazz, either, Katherine. In fact, we are eternally grateful. We didn't think you betrayed us, we were just surprised you would tell a Decepticon something like that. I am sorry we did not get there sooner."

Kate closed her eyes, tired. "It's okay. There's nothing to forgive. You all did the best you could, and all of you saved my life and Clap's. Thank you."

There was a giant huff of air, and the medic stood back up. "You're welcome. But don't think this lets you off the hook, young lady. You're still grounded from before this whole fiasco, and you're not getting off quite so easily for this stunt. And you still have to explain the whole human kidnappers incident to us, if you can."

The girl nodded, and shuddered. "Right. Keres."

"If that's his name, yes." Ratchet glowered at her. "Using the All Spark's energy as you did exhausted your mind and body. Before you even _think _about going back to sleep, we need to get some food in you. Sideswipe is bringing soup and fruit for you. When you wake up again, we'll all get to explanations."

"Okay." Kate accepted the orders almost gratefully. Answers could wait just a little longer. Right now, she just wanted to eat and sleep.

"Hmph." Ratchet stepped back and glanced over at Sideswipe as he entered as a holoform, tray in hand. "Eat what you can. I'll help you if you need it. And you, Jazz-"

"I know, I know." Jazz eased himself off of the berth with a grin. "Recharge. See you a joor or half, Kate."

Vor translated the time measurement for her, and Kate nodded. "Kay. Get better?"

"I'll be as spry as ever by the time you're up and about, kiddo."

Sideswipe grimaced as he walked over, having been lifted up by Ratchet. "You're not going to freak out at that name, are you? 'Kiddo,' I mean."

"Nah," Kate answered. "Like I told Jazz when I just met him as Jack, I'm not one of those teenagers. But I _am_ going to paint you pink while you recharge if you don't let me have that food right now."

"Er, right. Sorry."

...

Several hours later, Kate could sleep no more. By no means looking forward to her upcoming recounting, she nonetheless was eager to get it over with. Several other particulars had to come to light as well, and she knew she had a lot of explaining to do.

Some of her strength had returned by now, and she was able to get up out of bed on her own, her IV having disappeared while she was asleep. She felt filthy, in great need of a shower and clean clothes, and Kate wondered not for the first time how long she had been unconscious.

Clap and Jazz were still recharging in the med bay, of course, and Ratchet soon returned. "Did I say you could get up?" he asked with a frown.

"Ratchet, I have no idea how long I slept. I'm hungry again, but otherwise I only feel a little shaky. But . . . if you say so . . ." She sat back down, hoping to keep the peace for a little longer. Two presences hovered outside the room, but she dismissed them.

The medic grunted in satisfaction. "Well, you're better behaved than most of my patients." He scanned her, and she shivered at the ticklish feeling. "Much better. Your health is almost back to 'acceptable.' Are your ribs giving you any trouble?"

"Hmm? No, actually. I don't think Blastbeat broke anything when he grabbed me."

"The majority of your injuries, according to Jazz's records, would have come after that point, actually. Superficial cuts and bruises from both captivities and and the pandemonium, deeper bruising from the Decepticon's squeezing you, and an overexposure to UV radiation from the explosion of the spark, causing your top layer of epidermal-" He stopped himself, seeing her confused look, and translated. "You received a sunburn, Katherine. More bruises from Ironhide catching you, due to both his speed and yours. You had received a small concussion, but you've recovered nicely from that. How is your sight?"

"Much better. When I first woke up last time, everything was white. Probably an aftereffect of using the All Spark energy. Ratchet, I don't have a sunburn."

"You did. Hearing?"

"Fine, never had a problem. Ratchet, how bad a sunburn was it?"

"Compare it to a day spent on the beach with no protection against the sun. Your voice is fine, although Jazz said you had some trouble initially. How are your nerves?"

"Voice trouble didn't last long; I can feel everything okay and nothing's tingling." Kate frowned. "Ratchet, a bad sunburn doesn't just go away overnight like that. Sure, I'm tanned, but I'm not in pain."

"No dizziness, nausea?"

"No and no. Not quite up to par energy-wise, but nothing a good meal won't fix. Or several, I suppose. Ratchet, how long?"

"Hm, I will have someone bring food for you. Perhaps a little oatmeal with the fruit. Get your stomach used to food again."

Kate tried to resist the urge to growl, and mostly succeeded. "Ratchet. _How long was I asleep_?"

Sighing, Ratchet stopped his interrogation. "I was going to wait until after you were fed in case the information removed your appetite."

"Yeah, well, not knowing how long and knowing a lot has happened already is twisting my stomach just fine. _It's an expression_. Ratchet, Jazz is mended except for some of the worst stuff, and for that he just has to recharge and take it easy. You said I had a horrible sunburn, bruised ribs and other places, and a concussion. These don't heal overnight, or even over two nights. I'm weak, and I've gone without food long enough before to _know_ when some of the effects start to happen. _How long?_"

He shuttered his optics and vented. "Not counting earlier . . . Five days, four hours."

"_WHAT?_"

Kate's startled shriek woke up Jazz and Clap, and there was a confused scramble for a moment before Ratchet pinned Jazz to his berth in order to keep him from re-injuring something. "Slag it – stay still, Jazz!"

Jazz calmed himself and peered around the greenish limb holding him down. "Sorry, Ratch'. Got startled. Y' okay, Kate?"

The girl welcomed her little sparkling into her arms and grounded herself in his physical presence. "Five days," she echoed numbly. More animated, "Five days! I was out for- Oh, gosh. I- Okay, breathe. Don't hyperventilate, Kate, just breathe . . ."

Two holoforms came into existence on her berth and sat next to her. As Jazz put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her against him, Ratchet crouched in front of her. "That's it, Katherine. Breathe slowly, in an out. It's fine, you're fine. You were safe here the entire time after we brought you back. The Twins played bodyguard, and at least two mechs were here the entire time. I was monitoring your health the entire time, and you were in no danger of dying. You exhausted yourself when you channeled the All Spark energy into the Con's spark, and you were knocked unconscious by the blast. There was nothing life-threatening, it just took you a while to recover and wake up. You haven't missed anything yet, no new arrivals. Do you hear me, Katherine?"

By now, Kate's breathing had slowed to a bit less than its normal pace, and she sent Ratchet an incredulous look. "How'd you know exactly what I was freaking out about?"

Ratchet gave off a little rumble. "You've been kidnapped three- four times so far, and for an extended period of time for each of the first two. Knowing what I do already, it wasn't very hard for me to extrapolate."

"Peachy." Kate managed a smile despite her former panic, directing it at the medic's holoform. "Thank you. All of you. I just- I've never been out of it for so long before. I like knowing what's happening to me, you know. And I've heard it was bad to be out so long, and I just . . ."

He snorted. "Well, it's certainly not healthy. Your muscles have atrophied some, and your stomach is suffering from having no food. We've been feeding and hydrating you intravenously. As such—and you can consider this part of your punishment for pulling a fool stunt like you did—you'll be staying in here, resting and rehabilitating intermittently, until I deem you back in good health."

Kate nodded. "Okay. I can live with that. I don't think I'll want to be alone for a while, anyway."

_If you're worried about dreams, dearie, I can block them for now. Actually, I'll do what I can to keep the worst nightmares away once I stop doing that._

_Why not all?_

_Nightmares can have their role. While they will terrify you, you will be more inclined to talk about what you've experienced, about your fears._

Kate scrunched her nose. "No offense, Vor, but I don't know if you're the best psychologist ever . . ."

_Well, I am still learning about humans. I have only been aware for two years, after all, and I blocked your memories for the majority of that. I will make mistakes, but I can only do what I think is best._

_Right. Well, I'm not quite ready to forgive you in advance, Vor. _

_I can live with that._

_Let's hope I can, too. _"Sorry, guys. Talking with Vor about my dreaming options."

"I am not offended. By now, we have all, save for the newest in our ranks, grown accustomed to how it is when you converse with Vor. Katherine, what did you feel from her when you were panicking?"

Kate thought back. "She didn't like being out for five days, either. I think it reminded her way too much of being stuck in her Cube for forever. Once you have a taste of freedom, it's hard to go back."

_Exactly correct, Kate. I cannot imagine what it would be like to return to being so helpless. Have I thanked you recently for your willingness to share your body with me?_

_Er, no. But you're welcome. And don't even think of apologizing, you old girl. Aside from your messed up psychiatry experiments, I _like_ having you in my head._

A warm laugh. _Very well, then. And you know, your genius with computers is not because of me._

_Yeah, I do know. You probably helped me to grasp things a little better, but Gene's a good teacher. I can't wait to see him again._

_Speaking of which, you won't if you never tell them._

_Oh, yeah. That part._ Kate grimaced and looked from one holoform to the other, then down at Clap and kissed his forehead. "I still owe you that explanation, don't I?"

"Are you ready for that?" Jazz asked in concern.

Kate considered the question for a moment and shrugged. "I guess I have to be. Come on, let's get everyone together. The sooner you guys can start hunting this creep down, the better, I say."

The holoforms disappeared, and Ratchet let Jazz up. "You can carry her _if_ you take it easy," he warned.

Jazz nodded enthusiastically. "Y' got it, Ratchet. Can y' stand, Kate?"

To prove this, Kate lifted Clap to her hip and walked over to his open hand as he moved to the edge of the berth, albeit a little shakily. "Sure can."

Ratchet made an approving noise. "Good. Take her to her quarters to shower and change, Jazz. I'll gather everyone in the conference room and have a meal waiting for her."

"Sounds wonderful," Kate said as she settled into Jazz's hand. She looked over as the door slid open before the medic, and her eyes widened. "Wait, Ratchet-"

In her frustration with the medic earlier, she had completely missed when the two hovering presences had disappeared. Only now did the significance of their even being their dawn on her, when she saw what lay in wait. Ratchet hit the saran wrap with a startled cry, and the heavy _cla-thung-g_ of his hitting the floor reverberated through the med bay and the hall.

Kate and Jazz winced as one. "This time," the girl promised solemnly, "it wasn't me."

* * *

**Posted 2/10/12**


	34. Chapter 34: Landfall

Thank you to everyone who voted in my poll. I have come to a decision now, one that's hopefully different than what you usually see, and you'll see what it is when I write the third part of this trilogy. ;-)

Thanks for the reviews, **Rose's wings**, **Jolindo-Sidestreaker**, **xMischievousAngelx**, **BlackMoonWhiteSky**, **Ford B**, **Snowlily246**, **angel897**, **TheBlackRose**, and **Xireana Zetsubou**!

**Rose's wings-** Thanks for pointing that out about the writing. I'll try and see what I can fix, someday. :-)

Sorry for taking so long to update, everyone! I have absolutely no excuse. But now, here's the second to last chapter of _Transformers: I'm Crazy, Right?_ Final chapter should be along soon, along with a sneak preview of the next book, _Transformers: Keres._

* * *

_**Chapter Thirty-Four – Landfall**_

Showered and changed, Kate munched happily on a bowl of strawberries, part of her assigned diet after an extended period of not eating. There was nothing like food to make a girl feel human again, she decided. Vor was amused at the thought, but otherwise said nothing in reply. No one around the table spoke while she "refueled," as Ratchet termed it, and she gladly kept her eyes closed to preserve some sense of separation from what was to come.

Finally, however, she had eaten as much as she could on her shrunken stomach, and she was forced to push the bowl away. Ratchet swiped it up before anyone else could get to it, observing that there was still half a bowl left. "You can eat the rest at you next meal, and some salad," he said. "We'll ease you into something more substantial."

Kate nodded in agreement. When she had first come here, Ratchet—or Dr. Ray Childs as she had known him then—had kept her on a strict diet until he determined she could eat normally again. He wasn't too happy to find out she had eaten that baked oatmeal so early on, and she had suffered a stomachache later as a result. This had also happened the first time she had been kidnapped, having gone through a period of starvation then, as well. She was, to say the least, used to it by now. Anything more than this and she would get herself sick.

Jazz caught her as her movement caused her to sway, the girl not quite steady yet. "You okay, kiddo?"

"Yeah," she said with an embarrassed laugh. "It might be a little soon yet for me to be sitting up on my own. Just as long as someone stops me from falling, I'll be fine."

Ratchet frowned and scanned her again. "Your energy levels are a bit lower than I feel comfortable with. Are you certain you are up to this debriefing?"

Kate knew better than to roll her eyes; his point was valid, and she had lingering doubts herself. But she had to get this done now, and said so. "I want to get this over with so I don't have to worry about this happening again," she continued. "As it is, I . . ."

Lennox, seated on the other side of the conference table, picked up on her hesitancy and leaned forward on his elbows. "You what?"

She swallowed, horrors flashing behind her eyes before Vor could capture and do away with the images. "I'm worried about my other friends and family."

If anyone had been distracted, all attention was on Kate now with this statement. "Who?" Optimus prompted, when it was clear she wasn't going to continue on her own just yet.

Kate sighed and fiddled with her fingers. "I guess I should start off with that I've been under giant misconceptions when it comes to how people thought of me back . . . home." She felt her eyes glaze, and shook her head. "Still home, I guess, even if I want to stay here, half the time. But I miss them. My Aunt Jessica; my friend, teacher, and adopted brother, Gene; the Gamer Gang, the kids I played video games with. Heck, even Officer Daniels. For a long time, I thought they didn't like me, that they were patronizing me, that my being kidnapped had ruined everything forever." Her words were spilling out in a manner similar to Bluestreak, but no one stopped her—certainly not herself.

"Keagan died right after I was kidnapped, so I didn't find out until I was back home. That made me . . . a wreck. I still had Gene; I never doubted his friendship. But my aunt, the Gamer Gang, everyone else in town . . . It felt like everyone was convinced I was going to go insane with everything piling up like this. Vor's been with me since I was eight, but she woke up just before I escaped from Keres that first time, two years ago. She made it so I couldn't remember much. I had started to talk to myself, to her, and it felt like everything around me was falling apart. Things got worse when Keres' men slit my wrists. From then on everyone thought I had tried to kill myself. At least, that was the impression I got from everyone except Gene and Aunt Jessica, and Daniels." She poked at her half gloves, a new pair of which she had snagged from her room after showering, and focused on those. "Ever since then, I've worn these. Summertime, when it's warmer, I have some wide leather bracelets to put on instead. The scars haven't gone away yet, and I don't like people to see."

Hesitating for only a moment, Jazz reached out and drew her and Clap into his hands, where she welcomed the comforting bowl of warm, living metal. Glancing up at him, she smiled. "I told you on the way to find Prowl and Bluestreak that I was faking some of my amnesia. That Phantom's name is Gene Nicholson, and he works for the NSA. Well, my aunt's name is Jessica Flint, and she lives in Doverville, Ohio. I've lived with her since I was twelve, and- I miss her, and Gene."

By now she had run out of steam, and Jazz held her to himself. "You'll see 'em again, li'l sis'. Right, Prime?"

Optimus let out a low, relaxing rumble. "After Ratchet gives you a clean bill of health, yes. We will begin making arrangements soon."

Ironhide had latched onto a name Kate had spoken, though, and drew conversation back to it. "Who is this 'Keres,' and where can I find him and kill him?"

Kate hugged Clap to herself and let Vor's comforting presence wash over her. "Keres is all I knew him by. I don't know who he is, or what he wanted me to hack for him. He said it was something military, and I refused. So he and his men tortured me. They tried again, before I met all of you. I think they were going to make another attempt before Deathcall came. I don't know if they're ever going to stop, and I'm afraid that they'll go after those I know, back home. Keres is a monster; he's not going to care about bystanders being involved."

Cracking her eyes open, she saw Lennox giving her a grim smile. "We're going to arrange some bodyguards, then. We'll set up a patrol and send it out ASAP, before this guy can do anything. In the meantime, rest up and obey Ratchet's orders. We'll keep you updated if we can. Ratchet?"

The medic nodded. "All right, you can all greet her, but only a quarter Breem _each_. That's roughly two minutes, those of you unfamiliar with the Cybertronian time scale. Form a line, and _don't_ crowd her."

Kate couldn't help but laugh at this as she leveraged herself into sitting mostly upright. Bumblebee managed to worm his way in first, and she was quick to comfort the Bot. "I'm feeling fine, Bee, just tired. No, sorry, I'm still grounded from video games." Then Bluestreak, who would have been relieved beyond words at her being awake, had he not so many of them. Prowl gave her a nod, and a word of thanks for her saving Jazz's life. The Twins made her promise that she would play Halo 3 with them as soon as she was off the ban, and Mirage merely studied her for a moment after being shoved towards the girl by Sideswipe. He, too, nodded, and pronounced that she was a worthy vessel for the All Spark. Sam and Mikaela didn't have much to say, but their concern was appreciated. After them, Ironhide forbade her from ever pulling a stunt like that again and warned her that he and Chromia wouldn't let her do it, anyways.

Kate blinked at that. "Chromia's on her way?"

Ironhide nodded. "I feel her getting closer. You'll meet her, and she won't let you risk your life ever again."

The girl had to grin, and she made no attempt to stifle the expression. "I have no doubt. Anybody else?"

"Optimus has stated that he feels Elita-1's approach. We have no way of knowing if there is anyone else, yet."

"Well." The happy glow from Vor matched her own, and she shrugged. "At least they're coming. When do you think they'll be here?"

Optimus tipped his head to the side as he stepped up to them, then smiled. "I received a transmission from them approximately two hours ago. ETA is tomorrow morning."

"Sweet." Kate lay back on Jazz's hand, feeling the exhaustion creeping in more quickly. Having closed her eyes, she opened one again to peer up at the red and blue leader. "Hey, Optimus . . . Vor said she's feeling some resonance with her former shell. Why would that happen?"

Optimus knelt to be at eye-level with her. "Blastbeat had on his frame the All Spark shard I had handed over. When you poured her energy into him, it recharged that shard."

"In a sense, I guess." Kate wrinkled her nose. "Vor says she isn't connected to it so much. She can feel it, will know when the energy is used, but she says she can't control it. It's used energy, and the Cube is not her body anymore. It's like . . . Peter Pan's shadow, in a way, if that makes any sense. But not, at the same time."

The Autobot leader nodded. "It does. The humans have found out about it, and as much as Major Lennox has tried to 'stonewall' them, the scientists wish to study the shard. If we give it to them, I am assured that their requests for access to our weaponry will be reduced substantially. Normally we would refuse to consider such a choice, but the All Spark, sacred to us, is not housed by that frame any longer. She instead resides in you. How do you and Vor feel about the scientists studying the shard?"

"I don't like it." Kate scowled, feeling Vor's nudging. "I really don't like it. Vor isn't entirely comfortable with it either, but . . ."

_But it has to be done._ Vor's words sounded ominous, but Kate knew that the presence she played host to had to have a very good reason—even if Vor herself didn't entirely know what that was, yet.

"It has to be done," she echoed, hearing the dullness of her voice. "Even if it sounds like a spectacularly bad idea."

Optimus nodded. "Your concerns are valid. But if it must be done, it shall be done. The island base of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean is being considered for one of the NEST locations. Wherever our headquarters ends up, a secure facility will be constructed to protect the shard. Hopefully it will be enough to prevent the Decepticons from detecting and stealing it."

"At the very least, it'll be a good decoy." Kate closed her eyes again and sighed. "I'm too tired to think about the end of the world."

Ironhide laughed. "Then get some sleep. You'll want to be alert when you meet the femmes."

"Sir, yes, sir." Kate hugged Clap close and curled up in Jazz's hand. "Feels like it's been a lot longer than a couple weeks since I met you all . . ." Had it really been only that? Time, and her perception of it, was really odd sometimes.

Jazz smiled as he stood, cradling her with care. "Wouldn't 've missed it for th' world, Katie-girl. You sleep, now. We'll wake you when it's time."

Obeying, Kate closed her eyes. When she slept, she had no dreams.

**...**

She was surrounded by the sound of a rumbling engine when she woke up, a familiar dashboard before her. As she stretched, Kate could see a glow on the horizon, almost straight ahead, as the gray morning sky took on a touch of pink with the dawn. For a moment, she let herself stare, entranced. It had not been often that she woke up to the rising sun, or allowed herself the time to watch it. It felt symbolic, in a way.

Jazz revved his engine as a greeting, well appreciative of the affect such a sight had and probably unwilling to interrupt her awed trance. It broke her out of her daze, however, and she smiled at the holoform that appeared in the driver's seat. "Good morning, Jazz. Um, why am I not in my room?"

The image to her left looked sheepish as he put his sunglasses on his head, revealing the bright blue eyes she had once wondered about. "Ratchet gave permission for us to come along on the trip, as long as I take it easy and provided you eat appropriately and we made no stops along the way where you could get abducted. Clap's at your feet as a laptop, still recharging."

Kate grinned. "I know we won't be making those same mistakes again. How far is the landing site from base?"

"Two hours, give or take. We're ten minutes out, and ETA for the femmes' arrival is twenty minutes. I'll tell ya, I've never seen Ironhide and Optimus so . . . _twitchy_. With good reason, I know. I'd be, too, if I had my bonded about to show up after millennia of not seeing her."

_They are calling to each other, even now. Their joy is quite cheering._

The girl smiled at Vor's input. _Quit spying on the bonded couples. Just because you're their mother or grandmother, or whatever, doesn't mean you can eavesdrop, silly All Spark. _

_Dearie, being their grandmother practically gives me a license to be nosy. Don't worry, I'll let you stay out of it. And it's not like I can very well help it, you know._

Kate rolled her eyes. _If you say so._

"Vor's snooping, isn't she?" Jazz sounded like he already knew the answer to that, and his passenger laughed.

"You bet she is. Hey, do you have that bowl of strawberries? I'm hungry enough to attempt baked oatmeal again."

"Yeah, sure." Jazz picked a bowl from at his feet and passed it over. "Ratchet says you should be able to eat heavier foods soon. Go on, take your time."

Kate dug in. By the time she was done, they had arrived at an open field, sparse vegetation everywhere. She closed her eyes for what seemed to be just a moment, and then she was being nudged by her now awake sparkling. Burning forms greeted her eyes as they hurled toward the earth. Immediately, she was wide awake and sitting straight up. This was the first landfall she had been able to witness in person, and she didn't want to miss a bit of it.

It was probably a football field's length away where it finally happened. Kate was unable to keep from flinching as the two forms struck the ground and kicked the spewed earth into the sky. Dirt and pebbles rained down on them for several seconds before all fell silent, and then Jazz opened Kate's door and disengaged his holoform. She stepped out with Clap, catching a glimpse of Sam and Mikaela doing the same from Bumblebee, and watched as two figures rose from their craters and stepped toward the assembled group. As everyone transformed, most of the mechs hung back while Ironhide and Optimus went to meet the newcomers.

Kate let herself be picked up by Jazz and scooted onto his shoulder. Clap clung to her side and she held him close, smiling at the two reunions happening in front of her. Their joy was almost tangible, and she might have suspected Vor of transmitting this to her if the others hadn't also given indications of feeling the same thing.

Eventually, the four approached the rest of the welcome party, consisting of Bumblebee, Jazz, Ratchet, Hound, and Mirage. "Elita, Chromia," Optimus began, "allow me to introduce to you a few of the citizens of this world, and our allies. Samuel Witwicky and Mikaela Banes, who aided us more than words can express when we arrived here and fought to keep the All Spark from the hands of the Decepticons. And Katherine Donnelly, who has become the new host to the essence of the All Spark. With her is her sparkling, Clap."

Elita-1 bowed her head, and had Kate not been on Jazz's shoulder she knew the femme would have knelt to greet her. "It is an honor to meet you, Kate. Optimus has told me of the events since Jazz met you. Know that wherever you are, you will always have a place as one of us."

Chromia took over. "And it is an honor to meet you as well, Sam and Mikaela. You have our eternal gratitude for saving the lives of our bondmates. Primus knows they can't take care of themselves without help."

Kate laughed. "I'm surprised they've lasted this long without you. Vor, Clap, and I welcome you to Earth, and it is an honor for me, as well, to finally meet you."

Jazz nudged her very gently with the tip of one finger and grinned. "Careful. They'll mother you to no end once we're back at base."

Elita frowned. "Can you expect anything less?"

The girl shrugged. "Eh, what's two more on top of Ratchet?" The medic let out an indignant "Hey!" and everyone snickered. "Speaking of the base, we left Wheeljack there unsupervised in his lab again, and the Twins hopefully haven't made Prowl crash yet. Shall we get back before the base gets destroyed?"

There seemed to be a unanimous consensus, everyone transformed down to their altmodes. Adding to the lineup of flashy cars, Chromia was a sparkling midnight blue Audi R8 and Elita took the form of a dark metallic pink Nissan 350Z. Kate resisted the urge to roll her eyes and shrugged mentally. _Okay. The Twins can keep their Reventón altmodes. It's not like the Stingray isn't any less eye-catching, and the rest of this lot isn't helping._

Vor laughed. _True enough. The Stingray can be a fallback; could be useful someday. But I agree. The Twins aren't quite the same without the Lamborghini altmodes._

Jazz helped her down to the ground before transforming, and she climbed inside with Clap chittering on her lap. Everyone pulled onto the road, heading back to the old, rusted-looking warehouse that crowned their base, and Kate smiled. Appearing beside her, Jazz's holoform gave her a questioning look. "Something on your mind?"

"Just thinking," she answered. "Life's funny, you know?"

He hummed in agreement.

She closed her eyes and sighed. "We can go to Doverville soon, right?"

"As soon as Ratchet gives you a clean bill of health. Don't worry, Kate. We've got it all arranged. Prowl leaves tonight for your hometown, and he'll keep an eye on things until we get there. Sound good?"

"Better even than I was hoping for. So, two hours?" She looked around and grinned. She had slept long enough, and it was time to get back to a normal schedule, now. "I spy with my two eyes something blue . . ."

* * *

**Posted 7-16-12**


	35. Chapter 35: Departure

Soon is relative, I guess. Writing endings is a bit difficult, especially when Kate starts worrying when I had intended to just write a simple conclusion. I've been sitting on this for a week or two, letting my memory of it fade before deciding if it okay or not. This is the last chapter of _Transformers: I'm Crazy, Right?_, and the next step is to start writing _Transformers: Keres_. No promises on when that will be up.

I hope you all enjoyed this, and I will be going back and editing here and there, especially since I decided that there would never be any sort of romance between Kate and any of the Autobots. It was also pointed out to me that chapter two needs more realistic dialog. My writing has changed in the past four years, and I can definitely see that it's changed for the better. I will not be giving this a complete rewrite, as it is fanfiction and I have stories of my own that I'm working on, but I figure rewriting a chapter or two is fine. I'll put up a note if that happens, and I may or may not add an epilogue in the tone of the prologue.

Thank you, everyone, for all the favorites and story alerts, and especially for all the reviews. If you have questions, I will do my best to answer them, or I will make note of them to answer in the next story and inform you of that. Please let me know if I missed any plot holes. Thank you all for reading! For the last chapter, thank you for reviewing, **Link's Rose**. I apologize, everyone, for the delay, and I hope that I can draw you back for the sequel within the next few months. After the end of this story, you will find a teaser for _Transformers: Keres_, in which Kate returns home and the matter with Keres is resolved in a less tidy manner than she would have hoped.

* * *

_**Chapter Thirty-Five – Departure**_

"Okay, got some clothes, toiletries, my iPod . . . Clap, you're going to have to pretend to be a laptop most of the time until we get permission to tell my aunt. Or would you prefer to stay here where you can run around?"

The metal arms wrapping around her legs answered her question well enough, and Kate smiled. "All right, then. Hmm, I guess I need a new backpack, then. No, I'm not mad at you for wrecking the old one. If you hadn't . . . Well, with the Decepticons, there's really no telling what would have happened. Still would have been kidnapped by Deathcall, but he might not have removed my bonds and those are what told Hound and the others that I'd been there." She shrugged, then patted her sparkling on the head. "So don't worry, we'll find a new one for you to rest in."

Clap let her go, and she zipped up the suitcase Jazz had gotten for her. She was leaving a couple changes of clothes here for when she could return—and she was going to return—and the rest she was bringing with her, to add to the collection she most likely still had back in Ohio. She didn't think her aunt would have given up hope that she was still alive, but calling ahead, Ironhide said, would have too great a chance of alerting Keres to her return. If he was going to show up, then they needed some element of surprise. In that case, no one outside of NEST could know how many would be with her when she returned, and when exactly she was to arrive. As it was, it was just going to be Jazz with her initially, while Prowl would be patrolling the area as Michael Edwards, in keeping with the cover story Jazz had told her before she even knew about them being Autobots. Several others, including Ironhide and Chromia, would join them later.

Someone rapped on the door to her quarters, and she lifted the suitcase off of the bed. It was Jazz, as a holoform, and he took the luggage from her with a grin. "All packed up and ready?"

"Packed, yes. Ready: as much as I'll ever be. I know I've only been here about a month, but I'll miss it." She shrugged again, returning the grin. "Guess I'll just have to come visit, huh?"

"You'll always be welcome. And let's not talk as if you're never coming back here. We'll definitely be visiting."

"We?"

Jazz rubbed the back of his holographic head. "We figured you should have a guardian. I hope you don't mind, but-"

"Stop." Kate held up her hands and smiled. "I don't mind. It'll be great having you around. Although, I'll have to eventually explain to Aunt Jess how it is I have a Pontiac Solstice, especially a model that didn't have many made."

"We're working on getting her and Gene clearance to know about us, so until they do I'll be sticking around as Jack Turner, friend and bodyguard. If there's something they can't know yet, we'll explain just that. I'm a Lieutenant with the Army who's attached to a classified project, and you know bits of it so that's how you're stuck with me." Jazz waggled his eyebrows. "See, we thought of this."

She smirked. "Of course you did. So, to be clear, you and some others evacuated New Orleans in 2005 and are reuniting in Nevada. You've since joined the Army, drive a Pontiac, and you're a Lieutenant. Where you live and work are top secret, yet somehow I know about this classified project?"

"You stumbled upon it in the process of escaping from yer kidnappers. A terrorist organization kidnapped you after you were brought to Nevada to be debriefed, and we rescued you from them."

Kate ran over that in her mind. "And it doesn't matter what this classified thing is, because no one else can know about it. Okay, that works. The bits about me are true, just fudged up a bit."

Jazz shrugged and led her to his car form, which was parked in the hallway. "We figured you'd appreciate not having to lie too much."

"I do." She smiled, and reached over to squeeze his shoulder. "Thanks."

"Hey, just because you're going home doesn't mean we're just going to dump you out in the cold. Completely regardless of what role you now have in Autobot society as the host of the All Spark, you're our friend. We'd protect and help you anyways." Jazz escorted her to the passenger door and opened it. "Come on, the others are waiting upstairs to wish us a good journey."

"Not goodbye?"

He smiled. "With you? Never goodbye."

**...**

"So long! See you later! Don't be a stranger! Don't forget to prank Jazz!"

Everyone had turned out to say "so long," save Prowl who was already in Doverville. The Twins were creating the largest commotion out of all the Autobots, as per their nature, and had decided to shout out little bits of helpful and unhelpful advice. Bluestreak didn't call out, he just talked. He didn't say much in particular, just that he would miss her and looked forward to seeing her again soon, but he somehow discovered a way to stretched that out into ten minutes or so.

They each had their own ways of sending her off, even the humans who had joined the party. Sarah let her hold Annabelle again, and Figg delighted in conversing with her in Spanish in an attempt to annoy Epps. That didn't take much effort, naturally. And, of course, the soldiers who had been in Qatar each gave their honorary sister a hug. The one Epps gave her practically lifted her off the ground, but she was released before Ratchet could complain any.

Finally, after all the farewells to the rest of the humans and Autobots, Kate gave a final, parting wave. "It's been great getting to know all of you. Thank you, so, so much."

Optimus knelt in front of her and smiled. "It was our pleasure and our honor to have you here, Katherine Donnelly. Some of us will see you again very soon, but until then I bid you farewell."

Kate grinned up at him. "Take good care of them, Optimus. See you in a bit."

She climbed into Jazz's passenger seat before she could hesitate in her departure. "I guess it's time to go," she said. Jazz honked his horn at the others, taking this cue, and pulled out of the warehouse in the direction of the airfield. They would be taking a plane back east, back to Ohio. The idea made her stomach clench in anticipation, but she was swiftly calmed by Vor.

Jazz tightened her seatbelt just a little, and Kate smiled at the pseudo-hug. "You gonna be okay?"

"I think so," she answered, looking out the window. There was their cargo plane, waiting with the engines running. "I'm not really sure how it's going to be, really. I know them, but . . . I don't. Are they the same as the ones I knew? How did the me I replaced act? I am not the same girl who was in their lives; she probably didn't even have amnesia, since she didn't have Vor. I-"

Vor shushed her. Her words had been coming more quickly with every thought, and the All Spark mercifully cut her off before she could keep going. _Things are going to be just fine, Kate._

Kate sighed. "Are they really?"

_Do you want to stay here and not find out?_

Put like that, it was a direct challenge. _No, I don't. I miss them. I'll just have to go and see if it really is them, I guess._

_Exactly. If you must, explain that you had amnesia and you aren't sure that your memories are correct. It's true, and it saves from having to explain classified details just yet. You are Katherine Donnelly, and they are your Aunt and friends. I expect that they will be exactly as you remember."_

Kate slumped in her seat. _But they won't be._

_And since when did you let that stop you?_

The girl laughed, the soft rebuke cementing her own resolve. "Okay. You've got a point. Let's go, Jazz. It's time you met Aunt Jessica and Gene."

The Pontiac rolled into the cargo bay of the plane and allowed the bracing straps that had likely become commonplace for flying. "Get some sleep, Kate," he instructed gently.

Kate nodded in silent agreement. She was tired, and it would be a few hours before they would arrive. She had gotten up early that morning to finish packing, and the sun had only been above the horizon for a couple of hours. It was a strange thought, looking at the burning spot in the sky and knowing that, today, she would be home.

She closed her eyes, hugging Clap to herself, and dreamed of whispering voices and drifting sparks of light.

_**To be continued in **_**Transformers: Keres**

* * *

**.**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**And now, a special sneak peek at the sequel:**

Jazz sat down to watch Clap explore, making sure to keep a good eye on the little "lapbot," as they had come to refer to him as. Kate settled in next to him on the couch, stack of photos in hand with the backs facing up so she could read what was written before looking at the picture.

The Autobot holoform glanced down at the pictures, then back at Clap. "So how long have you known Gene?"

"Hm? Oh, many years." Kate flipped the top photo over, examining her friend getting slobbered in the face by a dog when he was younger, and smiled. "I told you before that he and Keagan went to college together. I think they met in American History. It's kinda funny to think about, because they were almost nothing alike at first glance. Gene was a geek, Keagan an aspiring soldier. I think they bonded over Star Wars, actually. Both were avid fans." She nodded to a Boba Fett figure on a shelf, and chuckled. "Gene still is. Anyway, when our parents died, we moved out here, and found out Gene was also here. I already showed interest in computers, so Keagan asked Gene to teach me some things, and that he could pay for lessons. Gene accepted, but only on the condition of a penny a day, since Keagan had promised to pay him and they never went back on their words. Don't think Keagan ever knew that I was a hacker, though." She grinned sheepishly, then the expression faded into a frown. "So much trouble over one mistake . . . I should have listened to Gene way back then. If I hadn't become the Ghost, maybe this whole mess wouldn't have happened."

Jazz sighed. "Well, it's no use thinking about it now. Clap! Careful what you poke there, little tyke."

Kate giggled at the sparkling's abashed look, then turned back to the photos. "Oh, here we go. It's one of the guy who asked Gene to have lunch with him." She flipped the photograph over, and went rigid, her face draining of all color.

Jazz spun to face her. "Kate? Kate, what's wrong?"

Kate's breath came in short gasps, and the stack of pictures scattered on the floor as she lunged for the phone, photo in hand. Once the receiver was in her grasp, she dialed Gene's number, praying desperately that he would answer. Jazz went silent, somehow knowing he would get his answers without having to ask.

A click was heard. _"Kate?"_

"Gene!" She nearly shouted the word, and was forced to take a breath. "Gene, get out of there! It's him!"

"_Him? Who's 'him'?"_ Regardless of his lack of understanding, Gene sounded worried. Anyone would be, with the potent fear in the young woman's voice.

"The guy you're meeting!" she cried. "He's the kidnapper!"

"_Oh, cr-"_ Gene was cut off suddenly, and she had to jerk the phone away from her ear at the loud clatter. Clap keened pitifully at her distress, and Jazz moved swiftly to put his hands on her shoulders in a supporting gesture. "Gene!" she shouted. "Gene!"

She heard movement, then the sound of the phone being picked up.

"_I'm afraid your friend won't be able to talk to you anymore. He's suffered a small accident."_

"No!" The photograph was a crumpled mess by now. "Let him go!"

A chuckle: dry, humorless, and cold. _"I don't think so."_

"Please! I- I'll do what you want! Just let him go!"

There was a pause, and Jazz stiffened behind her at the words. His hands gripped slightly, protective and comforting.

Finally, the kidnapper answered. _"Too late,"_ he said, and the line went dead.

Kate's world crumbled once more. "_GENE!_"

* * *

**Posted 12-25-12**


End file.
